Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) President A. Jagan Mohan Rao was arrested on Wednesday by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) for his alleged involvement in a ticketing scandal related to the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Rao, along with four other senior HCA officials – Treasurer C. Srinivas Rao, CEO Sunil Kante, General Secretary Rajender Yadav, and his wife G. Kavita – was taken into custody by the Telangana CID for questioning. The arrests follow allegations of forgery, financial misappropriation, and coercive practices surrounding the distribution of complimentary match tickets.
The case was initiated after a complaint was lodged by Dharam Gurava Reddy, General Secretary of the Telangana Cricket Association (TCA), on 9th June. Based on this complaint, the CID registered a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), and 420 (cheating), read with Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). It is alleged that Rao submitted a forged document to contest the HCA elections.
Further accusations have emerged concerning the HCA’s attempts to pressure IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) into providing more complimentary tickets than stipulated. According to a tripartite agreement between SRH, the HCA, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the HCA is entitled to 3,900 complimentary tickets, equivalent to 10% of the stadium’s capacity. However, HCA officials allegedly demanded an additional 10%, which SRH refused.
