Hyderabad: The Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) claims there was significant corruption involving former minister KT Rama Rao and Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) officials from 2015 to 2023. They say funds were misused, elections were manipulated, audits were falsified, and club activities were fraudulent. The TCA has asked the Chief Minister to widen a CID investigation and support TCA’s recognition by the BCCI to benefit young people in Telangana.
The TCA presented a report to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, detailing severe corruption within the HCA during 2015–2023. They allege a quid pro quo relationship between KTR, his family, and certain HCA officials led to the misappropriation of funds, financial losses for the state and central governments, and deceit of taxpayers. This alleged collusion also manipulated HCA elections and fostered a corrupt cricket environment, depriving youth of fair opportunities.
TCA General Secretary Dharam Guruva Reddy highlighted instances of political interference. According to the HCA Annual Report (2015–16), KTR was appointed to the BCCI’s IT and Data Management Sub-Committee despite rules against ministers holding such positions. Additionally, his brother-in-law Rajendra Pakala’s company, EventsNow.com, received exclusive IPL ticket contracts. In exchange, KTR allegedly helped reduce HCA’s property tax from Rs 14 crore to installments of Rs 25 lakhs per year.
The connection between politicians and HCA officials has damaged cricket administration in Telangana. Although previous complaints were made to the ACB, Police, and ED, action was stalled due to political influence. Recently, CID arrests have begun, but the TCA insists the investigation should cover all irregularities over the past decade, including duplicate clubs and money laundering.
