What this document is
This profile sets out what the High Performance International Pathway (HPIP) involves, so that a player and a parent can decide whether it is right for them before anyone commits to anything.
It is written to be read in full. If something here is unclear, or something you need is missing, write to info@vecl.au and we will answer plainly.
It is the one guide to the programme, for players and parents alike. Families of selected players then receive the practical detail in writing before departure: paperwork, travel, the daily routine, what to pack, and the on-tour contact number.
Families joined the online Information Sessions on 18 and 26 October 2026. Questions since: info@vecl.au.
The programme in short
The league runs turf T20 competition in Melbourne. Underneath it sits the HPIP, run with the Karnataka Institute of Cricket in Bengaluru.
Selected players train at KIOC for eight days each December and each April, and play the VECL December tournament on turf in Melbourne in between. From 2027 there is a third camp each September, timed to the Victorian school holidays.
The programme is open to boys and girls, and to senior men and women.
The annual cycle
| When | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| November | Melbourne | Trials on 4 and 9 November. The squad is named after them. |
| December | Bengaluru | Eight-day camp at KIOC, 13 to 22 December. |
| December | Melbourne | VECL December tournament on turf, 24 to 30 December. |
| January | Chennai | VECL Chennai Season 1 starts 10 January 2027. |
| March | Melbourne | VECL March tournament. |
| April | Bengaluru | Eight-day camp at KIOC. |
| September | Bengaluru | Third camp, from 2027, in the Victorian school holidays. |
| 2027 | Melbourne | Pathway to Premier Program: six weeks of high performance training with Premier coach Andrew Walton and his team. |
The coaching
Andrew Walton, Cricket Australia Level 3 High Performance coach and a specialist coach at KIOC every year since 2013, leads the programme. He sets the selection standards, the curriculum and each player’s individual development plan, coaches at the camp, prepares the squad for its matches, and writes the post-tour reports.
At KIOC the camp is coached by KIOC’s own staff under Irfan Sait, its founder and director. KIOC coaches across five areas: technical practice, high-level volume, tactical and game sense, physical recovery, and mindset and mental skills.
Around the cricket, the programme works on character, culture, nutrition, recovery, mental skills and leadership: being organised and responsible away from home, and coming back ready to mentor others.
Where the camp is held
The Karnataka Institute of Cricket in Bengaluru marked its silver jubilee in 2021. Its published profile lists twenty covered nets across cement, turf, artificial turf and matting; six bowling machines; floodlights; strength and conditioning support; an in-house physiotherapist; and video and speed analysis.
The squad stays in quality 3–4 star hotel accommodation in Bengaluru, not at the academy. The programme cost varies with the accommodation.
Who this is for
Selectors assess at the try-out: character, conditioning, cardio, strength and agility alongside batting, bowling and fielding, seriousness, and how a player responds to training demands and to new conditions.
Anyone aged 9 and over can try out, and trying out is how a new player joins the league. One trial picks two squads: the HPIP camp squad, chosen from players aged 12 and over, and the December junior franchises. The pathway is open to boys and girls, and to senior men and women, from anywhere in Australia or overseas; a player who cannot reach a Melbourne trial is assessed another way.
Every player and parent receives structured feedback after the trials, selected or not.
Cost and payment
The programme cost, and exactly what it includes, are still being finalised and will be shared shortly. Selected players receive the full details in writing in their offer email after the try-outs on 4 and 9 November. Registering for a try-out costs $20. The fee pays for the try-out session, not a place in the squad, and does not guarantee selection. Nothing further is payable until a place is offered and accepted.
Safety, supervision and duty of care
Every arrangement for a player under 18 is made with a parent or guardian from the outset, and every arrangement is set out in the International Travel Terms, given to every family in writing before anyone accepts a place.
| Area | Arrangement |
|---|---|
| Supervision | League staff with the squad at all times: travel, the academy, the hotel, matches and overnight. |
| Supervision | At least one adult for every ten players, and never fewer than two. |
| Supervision | A female staff member whenever girls travel. |
| Supervision | Every adult holds a Working with Children Check. KIOC coaches are never alone with a player. |
| Accommodation | A quality 3–4 star hotel in Bengaluru, named in your written offer. |
| Accommodation | Rooms shared only by players of the same gender and a similar age. |
| Accommodation | Staff on the same floor, with a room check every night. Daily transport to KIOC with staff. |
| Duty of care | An in-house physiotherapist at KIOC throughout the camp. |
| Duty of care | A medical form, medication plan and treatment authority before departure. A first-aid-qualified staff member on tour. |
| Duty of care | A daily update to families, and a 24-hour tour-lead number. |
Before you travel
| Item | What it means |
|---|---|
| Passport | Valid for at least six months after the return date. |
| Indian visa | Arranged by each family. We share how our 2023 Chennai and 2025 Delhi tours were arranged. |
| Travel insurance | Bought by each family: overseas medical, evacuation and cricket cover. No certificate, no travel. |
| Signed forms | Acceptance, consent to travel, medical and treatment authority, medication, photo consent and code of conduct. |
| Parents travelling | Welcome, at your own cost and on your own bookings. Your player stays with the squad for the whole programme; visits are arranged with the tour lead in advance. |
After the tour
Every player receives a written post-tour assessment they can hand to anyone — a club, a coach, a selector — and returns into the Australian January block prepared: Dowling Shield, Premier Under 18s and representative trials.
The programme is built to put players in front of people who make decisions. It does not promise that a player will be seen, and it does not promise where being seen leads. Any programme that promises you that is telling you something else as well.
Questions
Write to info@vecl.au. Enquiries are read and answered by the managing director rather than by a form.