The franchise claimed that the blackmailing has been going on for the last two years.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are likely to leave the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium as their home venue for the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise has claimed harassment and blackmail by officials of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
According to a report by Telugu daily Eenadu, SRH has claimed that they have been facing harassment and threats from HCA officials for the last two seasons over free match tickets.
In a letter written to the HCA treasurer, Sunrisers Hyderabad General Manager TB Srinath claimed that the franchise has been denied access to a section of the box seating inside the stadium.
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“We have been working with the HCA for the last 12 years but since the last two years, we have been facing harassment from them. According to our agreement, HCA will get 10% complimentary matchday tickets. Seats in Box F12A, with a capacity of 50, is also part of this agreement. But this year, HCA has claimed that the capacity of the box is 30 and has demanded SRH to provide 20 additional tickets. In the last match, F-3 box was locked and we were threatened to provide 20 more tickets in order to open it,” the letter said.
The letter also claimed that the HCA president, Jaganmohan Rao, had threatened some of the franchise staff.
“We have been facing harassment from the HCA staff for the last two years. HCA president had also threatened us. We have complained about this to the union head but from his behaviour, we feel that HCA isn’t happy with Sunrisers playing at this stadium. In that case, we will discuss the matter with the Telangana Government, BCCI and our management before shifting to another venue. We request you for a meeting with the HCA Apex Council,” it added.
SRH, who had bought the franchise in 2013, won the IPL title in 2016. They had also reached the final last year. The stadium located in the Uppal area of Hyderabad has hosted many international matches, along with 12 years of IPL matches. The shifting of the venue will be a big blow for the local fanbase.
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