Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Zeeshan Ansari celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Delhi Capitals’ Faf du Plessis during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 T20 cricket match between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), at the ACA-VDCA International Cricket Stadium, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Sunday, March 30, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has taken a serious view of the allegations against the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) by the SunRisers team management over free passes and appointed Director General (Vigilance) K Sreenivasa Reddy to probe and submit a report.
The Chief Minister assured the SRH management that they don’t have to provide any additional passes to anyone and that they can directly contact Mr. Sreenivasa Reddy if they face pressure from any quarter, including HCA or officials. He said the SRH management can provide free passes as per their agreement with the HCA and not an additional ticket. The IPS officer is known for his integrity and being a tough officer.
Earlier, SunRisers Hyderabad alleged blackmail by the HCA for passes for the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in Hyderabad and threatened to find a new venue for their matches leaving their home base in Hyderabad.
SRH team manager Srinath sent a mail to HCA officials recently allegedly warning that they would not tolerate pressures or intimidation from the HCA management, particularly HCA president Jagan Mohan Rao. It is alleged that the HCA locked a VIP box during the SRH match against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on March 27 as sufficient passes were not given.
According to the agreement with the stakeholders the SRH provides 3,900 complimentary tickets to the HCA that include 50 VIP boxes. But the SRH management claim that the HCA has been demanding additional 20 tickets in a separate box. When the request was turned down the box was locked by the HCA.
The SRH email sent to the officials also recalled that it pays rent for the stadium, and during the IPL season, the stadium is under their control. But the HCA has not been cooperating for the smooth conduct of matches due to its unprofessional attitude.
The SunRisers management also alleged that it was not one off the incidents but the HCA president has been blackmailing for free tickets. If the attitude doesn’t change the SRH management threatened to lodge an official complaint with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Published – March 31, 2025 10:43 PM is
