Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has ordered an investigation into allegations that the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president and some top officials harassed and blackmailed the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad over free tickets. The decision comes after media reports highlighted the issue on Monday.
The state government has appointed senior IPS officer Kothakota Sreenivasa Reddy, who is currently the Director General of Vigilance & Enforcement, to lead the investigation in the case. He has been asked to look into the matter thoroughly and submit a report soon.
SRH Threatens to Move Matches Over HCA President’s Behavior
Recently, the SRH management expressed strong disapproval of HCA president A Jagan Mohan Rao’s behavior. They sent an email, warning that they would stop playing matches at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium if the harassment over free ticket demands continued.
“All these unprofessional threats and actions by HCA, especially by the HCA president, make it evident that you don’t want Sunrisers to play at your stadium. If that is the case, please let me know in writing so that we can inform the BCCI, the Telangana govt, and our management that you wish for us to move to another venue, and we will move,” Sunrisers’ general manager Srinath TB told HCA in an email.
State Government Orders Inquiry into Allegations of Free Ticket Demands by HCA
In response to this, the state government took note of the issue and ordered an inquiry to put an end to the practice of franchises demanding free tickets.
“The chief minister has appointed Sreenivasa Reddy to enquiry into the allegations. He has also issued instructions to esnure that no one harasses the SRH management for passes no matter who they are. It could be officers in uniform or anyone else for that matter, this practice should end,” a source in the secretariat told TOI.
What triggered the row was HCA representatives locking up a box on the day of the SRH-LSG match on Thursday. “Please note that we pay the appropriate rent for the stadium, and during the tenure of the IPL, the stadium is under our jurisdiction. But in the last game, you locked the F3 box, refusing to open it unless 20 extra free tickets were given to you. This unprofessional behaviour creates a hostile environment, making cooperation increasingly difficult,” he stated.
