Hyderabad: Telangana Cricket Association on Thursday, July 17, filed a complaint against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha and working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) with the CID and the Enforcement Directorate alleging that they called the shots at the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).
The TCA further alleged that the contract for ticket sales for the Indian Premier League (IPL) was given to two websites owned by KTR’s brother-in-law, Raj Pakala.
In his complaint, TCA president Yendala Laxmi Narayan and General Secretary Dharam Guruva Reddy said that several other vendorships, like the food contract during IPL matches, were given to Surabhi Caterers, a relative of both Kavitha, KTR and a close relative of Jagan Mohan Rao. The travel contract and hotel bookings were also managed by the same batch of people.
The complaint has come days after HCA president Arishnapally Jagan Mohan Rao was arrested.
On July 9, Rao was arrested 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.
He described this as an act of “blackmail”, emphasising that such behaviour complicates coordination and collaboration between the two entities. He alleged that over the last two years, SRH faced multiple issues, particularly from the HCA president.
