HCA President Arrested For Intimidating Sunrisers Hyderabad

In a huge moment in the IPL ticketing scam, the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association has been arrested. It is believed that Jagan Mohan Rao, the HCA president, and the other top officials of the board had put undue pressure on the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad for personal gain.

The issue came to light during the IPL 2025 when Sunrisers Hyderabad even raised their voices towards the HCA, and there were even talks of them shifting their home base away from Hyderabad. However, the matter didn't escalate much as SRH went on to play all their home games at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

HCA President Arrested Over IPL 2025 Ticket Scam

Jagan Mohan Rao, the President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), was arrested on Wednesday, July 9. He was taken into custody by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Hyderabad for the alleged IPL 2025 ticket scam.

The controversy regarding the HCA president arrest revolves around ticket distribution and alleged misuse of power during IPL 2025 matches at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. Along with Rao, five other top HCA officials were also arrested for forgery and intimidating the IPL franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad.

A recent investigation revealed problems in how match tickets were allocated. The probe exposed irregularities in the way the HCA handled ticket distribution. It pointed out a lack of transparency and possible mismanagement by the state cricket body.

CID officials believe that Jagan Mohan Rao and other top HCA officials may have been involved in the black-marketing of tickets. There are also accusations that they pressured IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to give them extra tickets for personal gain.

President Jagan Mohan Rao of Sunrisers Hyderabad made serious accusations against Rao. In their statement, the franchise said that he and others forced the team to give more tickets than agreed. They also claimed that Rao tried to control ticket sales and used unfair tactics.
One shocking claim by the franchise was that Rao locked the stadium’s corporate box just hours before a match. This, they said, was done to pressure the team and create chaos.

Reportedly, before IPL 2025 began, HCA and SRH had reached an agreement. They decided that the state association would receive 3,900 complimentary passes for each match. These are free tickets usually reserved for officials, sponsors, and special guests. However, SRH alleged that HCA kept asking for more tickets.

SRH's Appeal to BCCI regarding IPL 2025 Ticket Scam

Due to repeated problems, SRH reached out to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). They also contacted the IPL Governing Council. The franchise requested the higher authorities to step in and solve the issue with the state association.

To calm things down, HCA Secretary R. Devraj set up a meeting with SRH officials. This meeting was held at the Hyderabad stadium. Three SRH representatives, Kiran, Saravanan, and Rohit Suresh, attended the meeting. In a joint statement, HCA and SRH confirmed that the previous arrangement would remain in place. They agreed to stick to the 3,900 complimentary passes limit.

The joint statement said, “SRH and HCA agreed to follow the original tri-party agreement signed between SRH, HCA, and BCCI. This includes allocating 10% of the total stadium capacity across categories. HCA will continue to receive 3,900 complimentary passes, as was the usual practice.” The decision came after further phone discussions with the SRH CEO, Mr. Shanmugam.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, who were runners-up in IPL 2024, had a disappointing season this year. In IPL 2025, they played 14 matches, winning six and losing seven. One game ended with no result due to rain. They finished sixth in the league table with 13 points. Their net run rate was- -0.241, which hurt their chances of making the playoffs.