Hyderabad: Several members of the Telangana Cricket Joint Action Committee (TCJAC) were detained for protesting at the Uppal Stadium during the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s (HCA) meeting on Saturday, July 19, demanding membership in the cricket association.
The protestors demanded that 300 more clubs be added to the HCA. The Hyderabad Cricket Association currently has 173 across the state.
Videos circulating on social media show members of TCJAC protesting and being detained by the police from outside the stadium.
Rachakonda police detained several TCJAC protestors when they tried to barge into the Uppal stadium. Heavy security was deployed to prevent suspended members from attending the meeting.
The meeting was held amid the ongoing investigation against HCA president Arishnapally Jagan Mohan Rao and four others over the misuse of funds.
CID arrests HCA president
On July 9, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested the HCA president for serious irregularities, including allegedly pressuring Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for tickets and other governance-related issues within the HCA.
Earlier this year, during IPL 2025, the HCA was embroiled in controversy as the SRH franchise accused it of harassment regarding complimentary tickets for IPL matches. The row escalated to the point where the management threatened to find an alternate venue, prompting the Telangana government to launch a probe.
SRH’s allegations against Rao, HCA
Controversy arose after the SRH’s general manager (Sports) Srinath TB, reportedly accused HCA officials of harassment, particularly president Jagan Mohan Rao. He stated that they have been collaborating with the HCA for twelve years but have encountered increasing difficulties over the past two seasons.
According to the agreement, SRH allocates 10 percent (3,900) of complimentary tickets to the HCA, which includes access to a corporate box with a capacity of 50 seats.
However, this year, the HCA claimed that the box could only accommodate 30 people and demanded an additional 20 tickets from another box, which SRH found unreasonable. The HCA official also allegedly locked up their corporate box during an SRH match, demanding more tickets.
