MS Shanker
Azharuddin – From Captaincy to Controversy
When a senior police officer recently named three former India cricketers—Shivlal Yadav, Arshad Ayub, and Mohammad Azharuddin—as key culprits behind the sorry state of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), it wasn’t hyperbole. It was a blunt, uncomfortable truth that had long circulated in cricketing circles. In the last two instalments, I detailed the decay allegedly engineered under Shivlal and Arshad. Today, the focus shifts to the third—and arguably most controversial—figure: Mohammad Azharuddin.
Known in Hyderabad circles as “Ajju Bhai,” Azharuddin’s cricketing journey was a fairy tale that turned into a cautionary tale. His elegant wristwork and composed leadership once inspired a generation. But post-retirement, he’s made headlines not for legacy, but for scandal—from the match-fixing ban in 2000 to a string of controversies in both cricket and public life. His innings off the field have been anything but inspiring.
In 2019, Azhar was elected President of HCA with much fanfare and hope. What followed, as revealed by state agencies and forensic auditors, was an alleged string of financial irregularities, tender manipulation, and administrative bypassing.
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During his tenure, multiple complaints surfaced. The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau filed three FIRs and charge sheets against Azharuddin and others, alleging misappropriation of ₹20 crore, originally earmarked for the procurement of diesel generators, firefighting systems, and canopies for the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal. Another ₹3.85 crore was allegedly spent without due diligence on cricket balls, gym equipment, and stadium furnishings.
Alongside Azhar, former HCA secretary R. Vijay Anand and treasurer Surender Agarwal were also named. Charges include criminal breach of trust, forgery, cheating, and conspiracy under IPC Sections 406, 409, 420, 465, 467, 471, and 120-B.
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To verify the depth of the financial rot, the HCA CEO appointed a Chartered Accountant firm for a forensic audit, covering March 2020 to February 2023. The audit was damning. It unearthed instances of diversion of funds, transactions with dubious vendors, and forged procurement practices—many allegedly directed or fast-tracked by Azharuddin himself.
A glaring instance involved firefighting equipment procurement. Despite participating in the March 2021 Apex Council meeting, Azhar reportedly bypassed regular procedures, scrapped one tender process without explanation, reissued a second, and pushed through a work order, which remained incomplete six months later, in clear violation of norms.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) later raided nine locations in Telangana — including the residences of former HCA officials Shivlal Yadav, Arshad Ayub, and Gaddam Vinod — under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Incriminating documents, digital evidence, and unaccounted cash of ₹10.39 lakh were seized.
Though these raids didn’t spare any faction, Azhar’s name remained front and centre due to the forensic audit findings and administrative red flags under his presidency.
Another major allegation against Azhar as President was the way he handled the selection of the state Ranji team, reportedly overruling selectors. According to a former apex council member, during Azhar’s tenure, league matches and age-group tournaments like U-14 and U-16 were not conducted. Instead, selections were allegedly made at his whim and fancy, with corruption in team selection at its peak. He is said to have sent more than 28 players in the Ranji squad — a clear violation of BCCI norms. Selectors, the apex council member claims, were mere dummies, forced to sign on the dotted line after Azhar submitted his list of players. Vijayanand, too, reportedly had a hand in these decisions. However, a conflict between the two broke out when the “booty” was not shared equally.
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The former apex council member adds that there were many such instances, making it one of the worst periods in HCA history. Matters became so bad that the Supreme Court had to step in and appoint former Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Kakru to head a three-member Supervisory Committee to monitor HCA’s functioning.
Interestingly, after being ousted from HCA, Azharuddin switched to the political pitch. He contested the Telangana Assembly elections on a Congress ticket but lost. However, with Congress returning to power in the state after a decade — and with the BRS MLA who defeated him now deceased — Azhar is reportedly preparing to contest again in the upcoming bypoll from the same constituency.
And that opens up an uncomfortable possibility.
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What if he wins this time? Will the Congress-led government, now in power, shield its own and selectively target only those aligned with the BRS, such as the recently arrested HCA President Jaganmohan Rao? Already, whispers suggest the agencies have been more aggressive with Jaganmohan—who is seen as close to the BRS—while treating Azharuddin’s cases with suspicious silence.
If Azhar returns to political power, will it become a ticket to exoneration? Will the enforcement agencies conveniently look away while the same forces that once destroyed HCA continue to operate unchecked? Already, Shivlal Yadav and Arshad Ayub—despite no longer holding official posts—allegedly continue to call the shots behind the scenes, influencing selections and administrative decisions.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad’s cricketing standards have plummeted. Team selections are reportedly based on ‘pay and play’, not merit. The state’s senior and junior teams struggle to win even a single game. Promising cricketers are demoralized. The institution, once a powerhouse of talent, has become a cesspool of corruption and nepotism.
Azharuddin, instead of cleaning the muck, allegedly deepened it. If political rehabilitation now helps him escape accountability, it will send a dangerous signal—not just to the cricketing world, but to every sport administrator in the country: that you can ruin institutions and walk away, as long as you’re politically useful.
Hyderabad cricket deserves better. And if this cycle of cover-up and compromise continues, the game we love might never recover.
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