Hyderabad Cricket Association President Arrested in IPL Ticket Scam Linked to Sunrisers Hyderabad
Jagan Mohan Rao, President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Hyderabad on Wednesday over his alleged involvement in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 ticket scam. The arrest followed a vigilance inquiry ordered by the Telangana government, which uncovered serious irregularities in ticket distribution and governance practices within the HCA during IPL matches held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
According to the CID, Rao and other senior HCA officials reportedly exerted undue pressure on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) franchise for extra complimentary tickets. These tickets were allegedly used for personal sale and black-marketing purposes. The SRH management accused Rao of threats, coercion, and even locking a corporate box just hours before a match in a bid to extract more complimentary tickets.
These actions were in direct violation of a tri-party agreement between SRH, HCA, and the BCCI, which mandates that 10% of total stadium tickets be allotted as complimentary passes to the HCA. The CID later filed an FIR after the probe confirmed misuse of power and unethical conduct.
The situation had reached a boiling point earlier in the season, with SRH appealing to the BCCI and IPL Governing Council for intervention. SRH had even warned of relocating their home matches out of Hyderabad if the harassment by HCA continued.
A meeting was eventually brokered between HCA Secretary R. Devraj and SRH representatives, including Kiran, Saravanan, and Rohit Suresh. During the talks, SRH pushed for strict adherence to the existing tri-party agreement, while HCA suggested continuing the current practice of distributing 3,900 complimentary tickets. After discussions, both sides agreed to maintain the allocation of passes as per previous arrangements.
In a joint statement, both HCA and SRH affirmed their commitment to working together professionally and enhancing the match-day experience for fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
