IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad are considering moving their home matches away from the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium during IPL 2025 due to issues with the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). According to media reports, the 2016 champions are unhappy with the alleged intimidation and blackmailing by HCA top officials over free tickets, which made them rethink where they want to play their remaining home games.
Allegations of unprofessional behavior
According to the Times of India, SunRisers Hyderabad’s general manager, Srinath TB, has written a letter to HCA treasurer CJ Srinivas Rao, expressing the franchise’s dissatisfaction with HCA’s behavior. “All these unprofessional threats and actions by HCA, especially by the HCA president, make it evident that you don’t want Sunrisers to play at your stadium. If that is the case, please let me know in writing so that we can inform BCCI, the Telangana govt, and our management that you wish for us to move to another venue, and we will move,” Srinath said in the e-mail.
Ongoing Issues with HCA
Srinath also showed that the franchise has faced continuous issues with HCA since the previous season. He mentioned a specific incident where HCA representatives locked up a box on the day of the match against Lucknow Super Giants. “For several years, HCA has been allocated 50 complimentary tickets (F12A box) as a part of the 3,900 complimentary tickets. However, this year, you are claiming the capacity of the box to be only 30 and asking for an additional 20 complimentary tickets in a different box.” He added, “We pay the appropriate rent for the stadium, and during the tenure of the IPL, the stadium is under our jurisdiction. But in the last game, you locked the F3 box, refusing to open it unless 20 extra free tickets were given to you. This unprofessional behaviour creates a hostile environment, making cooperation increasingly difficult.” He added.
Request for resolution
The issues have been escalating since the last season, and Srinath emphasised that this is not the first instance of such intimidation by HCA. “Given the constant threats, coercion, and blackmailing by HCA, we suggest that we go as per the signed agreement between us, as per which we will allocate 10 percent of complimentary tickets across each stand,” he wrote. The franchise has formally requested a meeting with the apex council members to discuss and resolve the matter.
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