T P Venu I hyderabad

The arrest of five individuals associated with the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), including its president A. Jagan Mohan Rao, comes as no surprise. For an association that has become synonymous with controversy, getting bowled out—lock, stock, and barrel—has become a habit. Allegations of corruption, mismanagement, favoritism, and one-upmanship have plagued the HCA for years.

Take the case of Mohammed Siraj, now a key figure in India’s bowling line-up. Just days ago, after winning matches for India in England, Siraj took to social media to reveal that he was repeatedly ignored by the HCA. He credited his rise not to the association, but to former India fast bowler Bharat Arun, who insisted on his selection in the Hyderabad squad. Siraj’s success, in many ways, seems to have happened despite the HCA—not because of it.

The latest controversy involves the Telangana CID registering cases based on a report by the Vigilance and Enforcement Wing, detailing financial and administrative irregularities in the HCA. This probe, triggered by allegations made by the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), is likely just the tip of the iceberg.

The HCA had long since hit rock bottom. Its decline isn’t new—it has been gradual, consistent, and deeply damaging. The arrest of A. Jagan Mohan Rao for alleged misappropriation of funds and attempts to pressure SRH into providing additional complimentary IPL tickets in 2025 barely scratches the surface of the rot within.

In fact, it’s difficult to name a single HCA president in the last decade who hasn’t been embroiled in some form of administrative failure or controversy. The association is now in disarray: court rulings have invalidated top-level appointments; internal oversight is under serious question; and financial mismanagement is so severe that the Enforcement Directorate has frozen assets linked to large-scale money laundering.

The legal mess deepened with the recent CID arrests. HCA officials face charges of forgery, cheating, criminal breach of trust, and misuse of association funds. Meanwhile, SRH is reportedly considering shifting its base out of Hyderabad—an unprecedented move that reflects how far relations between the state association and its stakeholders have deteriorated.

What we’re witnessing is not just a moment of crisis, but the culmination of years of negligence, arrogance, and unchecked power. Being repeatedly bowled over by the courts and law enforcement has become the norm for the HCA. Can it rise again? At this point, it’s anybody’s guess.