Joined basketball at 9, and the rest of her batch has played since 5

From the classroom side: at 9 they notice the gap very sharply, but they also close it faster than they expect to. Would the coach let her do one extra beginners' session a week while staying in her own age batch? She gets the basics without the feeling of being moved down.

I started basketball in class 6 at school and spent a whole term barely touching the ball. What changed it was one older girl who began passing to me in drills, nothing more than that. You could ask the coach to pair her with a steady player during practice. It's a small request and coaches usually understand it.

My son started football at 10 with boys who had played for years. The first two months were the hardest; he came home annoyed most evenings. We stopped asking how practice went and started asking what one thing he did that day, which got actual answers instead of a shrug. By the third month he wasn't the weakest any more, though not the best either. I think the younger batch would have embarrassed him more than it helped, so your daughter's instinct isn't wrong.

Does the academy run anything during the Dasara break? My son's swimming place does short holiday camps where kids are grouped by level for a week. Might be a way to catch up on basics without a permanent move.

My daughter joined throwball in school only in class 5. First month she wanted to stop every day, others were much better. Her PT teacher told her come for practice only, matches later. Now she plays regularly. Let her finish at least this month before deciding anything.

Nine is not late. From what I see at work, children who come to a sport at 8 or 9 after doing other things tend to have fewer overuse problems than those who played one sport from 5. The skill gap is real, but it is temporary. I would keep her with her age group and ask the coach for two or three specific things she can practise at home with a ball and a wall. Ten minutes a day of dribbling closes that particular gap quickly.