IPL ticket scam: CID arrests Hyderabad cricket body chief after SRH’s explosive allegations – Mathrubhumi English

Hyderabad Cricket Association president Jagan Mohan Rao arrested for ticket scam during IPL 2025. CID investigation reveals misuse of authority and black-marketing.
Hyderabad: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday arrested Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) President Jagan Mohan Rao in connection with a ticketing scandal during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
The arrest stems from a probe conducted by the Telangana Vigilance Commission, which uncovered serious irregularities related to ticket allocation at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The CID has registered an FIR against Rao and several HCA officials, citing abuse of authority, black-marketing of tickets, and administrative misconduct.
According to the findings, HCA officials had allegedly pressured IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to release additional complimentary tickets — beyond the agreed-upon quota — for personal gain. In one reported incident, the HCA allegedly locked a corporate box during a match as a means of coercing SRH.
SRH accused Rao of intimidation and blackmail, stating that on March 27, ahead of a match against Lucknow Super Giants, he locked the F3 corporate box — reserved for LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka — and demanded 20 more complimentary tickets.
ALSO READ: Attention IPL fans! These 3 dangerous scams are targeting you, here’s how to stay safe
Per the tri-party agreement between SRH, HCA, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), HCA is entitled to 3,900 complimentary tickets, or 10% of the stadium's capacity. Despite this, HCA officials reportedly demanded an additional 10%, which SRH refused.
The situation escalated when the HCA president allegedly insisted on a separate 10% allocation of tickets for personal use. SRH declined both demands and later threatened to shift matches away from Hyderabad due to the repeated pressure and interference.
In response to the controversy, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy ordered a high-level inquiry, led by Vigilance Director-General Kothakota Sreenivasa Reddy. The commission concluded that the complaints made by SRH were credible and recommended action against the accused HCA members.
IANS inputs
Disclaimer: Kindly avoid objectionable, derogatory, unlawful and lewd comments, while responding to reports. Such comments are punishable under cyber laws. Please keep away from personal attacks. The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of readers and not that of Mathrubhumi.

source