Telangana Cricket Association Secretary attacks govt over HCA irregularities

Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) General Secretary Dharam Guruva Reddy has strongly criticized the Telangana Government for its alleged silence on serious financial and administrative irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). Guruva Reddy demanded immediate state intervention to recover public money, restore privatized cricket infrastructure, and launch a comprehensive criminal probe into what he described as “systematic loot and manipulation” of Hyderabad cricket.

He highlighted the alleged Rs 69 crore “loot” linked to the controversial Visakha deal and questioned why the government has failed to act despite documented evidence of mismanagement. He pointed to the illegal privatization of 17 GHMC (formerly MCH) cricket clubs, the mysterious disappearance of 103 member clubs, and the sudden emergence of 80 questionable private clubs as signs of a deep-rooted nexus that has gone unchecked for years.

Citing the report of the Supreme Court-appointed Supervisory Committee headed by Justice N.A. Kakru, Guruva Reddy noted glaring fraud in HCA’s membership system. The committee found no verified membership register existed, despite formal requests. The HCA President and Secretary confirmed its absence in 2022, which Reddy termed as “deliberate destruction or concealment of crucial records.”

Further anomalies include an electoral roll based on unverifiable sources, with poor representation from Telangana’s newer districts. In 1986, HCA had 156 legitimate member clubs; today, only three GHMC clubs remain under public control, while 17 have been allegedly transferred to private hands. Guruva Reddy alleged that many clubs were artificially created or traded for Rs 1-2 crore to manipulate voting strength, creating a “closed monopoly” controlled by a handful of individuals.

He also flagged non-compliance with BCCI constitutional norms and raised concerns over an alleged “ticket and player pass scam” during the ongoing IPL season, where complimentary tickets are reportedly diverted to the black market. He  urged the Telangana Government to recover the Rs 69 crore, restore the 17 privatized clubs, cancel fraudulent memberships, trace the missing 103 clubs, and initiate a full criminal investigation into membership fraud, electoral manipulation, and related scams. He warned that continued inaction would be seen as protecting vested interests at the expense of Telangana cricket and public institutions.