HYDERABAD: A high-stakes controversy has engulfed the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) over allegations of blackmailing the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) IPL team management for free tickets. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has ordered a vigilance probe into the matter.
The controversy erupted after the 2016 IPL champions’ general manager Srinath TB accused HCA president Jagan Mohan Rao of coercive tactics for complimentary tickets before SRH’s IPL match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal on March 27.
The SRH management has allegedly written a letter to the HCA warning the association that it would move its team’s home matches out of Hyderabad. TNIE couldn’t independently confirm the claim.
In response, the HCA announced that Jagan Mohan Rao will not participate in meetings with HCA officials during the IPL season 2025.
The controversy surrounds the allocation of complimentary tickets, with the HCA stating that they received only 3,880 tickets, not 3,900. “Mr A Jagan Mohan Rao, president, HCA, did not make any personal request to block 3,900 tickets per match for his purchase,” the HCA’s response to SRH stated. The stadium has a seating capacity of around 39,000.
“Please do not distort facts as 3,900 complimentary tickets were never handed over to HCA but only 3,880 tickets were handed over. A demand for issuing the remaining 20 complimentary tickets cannot be stretched to state that the president, HCA, demanded 20 free tickets. Your claim that you were informed that the president, HCA has instructed the return of 20 tickets for F-12 A Box is a baseless manipulation intended to malign him. HCA was given only 3,880 complimentary tickets ... you are incorrectly projecting the request to supply the balance 20 tickets as threat, blackmail and coercion,” HCA’s mail to SRH’s Srinath read.
Vigilance and Enforcement Director General Kothakota Sreenivasa Reddy will conduct the investigation.
