IPL 2025 | SRH urges BCCI to intervene to stop HCA's 'blackmailing'; state unit denies charges

The Sunrisers in a mail to the governing body’s top brass said it would consider shifting the home matches to another state if the HCA continues to “threaten” the franchise, primarily for more complimentary tickets (free passes).

Bengaluru: The Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday sought the intervention of BCCI and the IPL Governing Council to halt the recurring “blackmailing tactics” by the Hyderabad Cricket Association, but the state unit denied all such charges by the franchise.

The Sunrisers in a mail to the governing body’s top brass, which is in PTI’s possession, said it would consider shifting the home matches to another state if the HCA continues to “threaten” the franchise, primarily for more complimentary tickets (free passes).

“I write with serious concern regarding the ongoing developments with the HCA and their repeated blackmailing tactics towards the Sunrises Hyderabad franchise,” a top SRH official wrote in the mail.

“This issue has been recurring, and I believe it requires immediate attention from the BCCI and the IPL governing body,” he added.

The official, who belongs to the top echelons of SRH, said the franchise needs a clarity on the distribution of the complimentary passes to the association, which is generally pegged at 5 percent of the total number.

“We also seek clarification on the issue of complimentary tickets issued to the HCA by the franchise. The President of the HCA, Jagan Mohan Rao, along with the Treasurer/Secretary, has been consistently threatening the Sunrisers Hyderabad management, stating that he will not allow the IPL to take place in Hyderabad unless his demands are met.”

The team official further said they would consider shifting SRH’s matches to another state if the situation prevails.

“This is an unacceptable abuse of power. This issue was raised last year but unfortunately, this same issue is recurring again this year.

“If necessary, the matches should be moved to another state if the Hyderabad Cricket Association continues to threaten the franchise,” he noted in the letter.

The official then urged the BCCI and the Telangana government to urgently intervene in the issue.

“Therefore, I strongly urge the BCCI to issue an open letter to the Telangana CMO and address this issue publicly, as it is a serious issue that directly impacts the franchise, the fans, and the integrity of the IPL as a whole.”

HCA denies accusations

However, HCA president A Jagan Mohan Rao denied any such demands were being made to the Sunrisers Hyderabad management.

“HCA did not receive any official emails from SRH management. There is no truth in the news being circulated on social media and some websites,” Rao said in a circular.

Rao said such efforts have been made to tarnish the image of the association and its relation with the SRH.

“If emails are indeed received, what is the conspiracy behind leaking that information from unknown emails instead of HCA or SRH official emails? This is a malicious campaign by some people to tarnish the reputation of HCA-SRH,” he further said.