For years, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has been projected as a custodian of talent, the nursery that once produced the likes of ML Jaisimha, Mohammad Azharuddin, VVS Laxman, and a string of India internationals.
But peel back the façade of cricketing pride, and one finds a cesspool of corruption, manipulation, and brazen looting of public funds. Documents and charge sheets filed before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and special courts in Hyderabad expose a damning pattern: office-bearers of the HCA, along with private contractors, are facing multiple criminal cases for misappropriation of crores in the name of stadium construction, ticket sales, land purchases, and routine contracts.
The murkier financial irregularities begin with the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal—envisioned as a monument to Hyderabad’s cricketing future. But it has turned into a monument of corruption.
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According to Cr. No. 13/ACB-CIU-HYD/2011, the ACB registered a case in 2011 following a complaint by C. Babu Rao Sagar. The allegations: misappropriation of ₹17.25 crore in stadium-related works.
The charge sheet, filed in 2017 (CC.No.27/2017), names none other than N. Shivlal Yadav, former Vice President of HCA and once an interim president of the BCCI, as Accused No.1, along with 34 others. The case remains pending before the First Additional Special Judge for ACB cases.
Repeated attempts by accused officials—including Shivlal Yadav, former president Arshad Ayub, ex-secretary John Manoj, and contractors—to quash proceedings have failed. The Telangana High Court dismissed several petitions (CRLP No. 5097/2020, 6641/2020, 6871/2023, among others), while Special Leave Petitions (SLPs No. 4751/2021, 4568/2021) filed in the Supreme Court remain pending. This is not a one-off. It is a recurring story.
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Another ACB case, Cr.No.17/ACB-CIU-HYD/2011, originated from a complaint by businessman D. Manikyam. Filed in CC.No.26/2020, it lays bare a trail of brazen siphoning of funds:
- ₹1.74 lakh in irregularities in parking lot works.
- ₹12.01 lakh in the sale of 2007 World Cup tickets.
- ₹19.51 lakh in a shady land deal at Boyapally in Mahbubnagar.
- Even petty amounts like ₹35,000 in dressing materials were misappropriated.
The accused? The same familiar faces: Shivlal Yadav, Arshad Ayub, G. Vinod (ex-MLA), and John Manoj. Their discharge petitions were dismissed by the ACB Court, and though they approached the High Court (Crl.P No.5155/2020, 12023/2020), the petitions were rejected. Yet, SLP No. 4610/2021 is still alive in the Supreme Court, with hearings adjourned endlessly.
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The rot does not stop there. In Cr. No.4/ACB-CIU-HYD/2014 (CC.No.17/2016), the ACB unearthed misappropriation in the construction of canopies at the stadium’s North and South stands. Here too, the main accused include Arshad Ayub, D.S. Chalapathi, John Manoj, G. Vinod, and Dr. M.V. Sridhar. Even the treasurer, R. Devaraj, and private contractors were implicated. Allegations include:
- Misappropriation in canopy works.
- Violation of lease agreements with the Ranga Reddy District Collector.
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When petitions to quash were dismissed by the High Court (CRLP No. 4080/2017), the accused rushed to the Supreme Court (SLP No.5270/2021), where proceedings drag on without conclusion.
The playbook of HCA’s tainted officials is consistent: stall, delay, and misuse the legal system to evade trial. Almost every accused has filed multiple discharge petitions, criminal revisions, and SLPs to wriggle out of proceedings. The High Court, on more than one occasion, has refused to buy their arguments. Yet, the sheer number of appeals has kept trials in limbo for over a decade.
The cases span 2011 to 2020, yet not one has seen a full trial or conviction. Meanwhile, those accused continue to dominate HCA politics, contest elections, and wield power, as if nothing happened. Worse, some of them have been elevated to the BCCI, mocking the very idea of accountability.
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The tragedy is not just about stolen crores. It is about stolen opportunities. While office-bearers pocketed funds meant for infrastructure and development, generations of young cricketers in Hyderabad were left with crumbling facilities, no proper pathways, and a culture of nepotism. The same administrators facing criminal charges also stand accused by players of manipulating selections and sidelining talent.
The rot in HCA is not accidental—it is systemic. Stadium contracts, land deals, ticket sales, dressing materials, and even canopies: everything became an opportunity for loot. The accused range from celebrated former cricketers like Shivlal Yadav and Arshad Ayub to local politicians and contractors, united in their misuse of cricket as a cash cow.
The ACB cases are a test of India’s resolve to clean sports administration. If the judicial system allows these accused to slip away through technicalities, it will embolden others across Indian cricket. The Supreme Court and Telangana High Court must ensure trials are expedited and completed, rather than being caught in an endless cycle of adjournments.
For the cricketing fraternity of Hyderabad, the message is clear: until accountability is enforced and the guilty punished, the sport will remain hostage to vested interests. The crores looted were not just numbers in a balance sheet—they were the dreams of thousands of cricketers, crushed under the weight of corruption.
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