SRH Warns To Leave Hyderabad Over Alleged Blackmail For Free IPL 2025 Tickets, Says Report

Indian Premier League (IPL) team Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has reportedly accused the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) of blackmail. The team claimed that the HCA president, A. Jagan Mohan Rao, asked for free tickets of IPL in significant quantity. The team has also warned the HCA that if the free ticket demand continues, they might move all their matches to another venue. At present, SRH plays its home match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

According to a report by the Times of India, SRH's general manager (GM), Srinath TB, sent an email to the HCA treasurer, CJ Srinivas Rao, addressing all the issues the team is facing. In the email, Srinath told the HCA treasurer that the team would not tolerate such behavior. He also requested that the HCA to take action regarding the threats they received.

Mr. Srinath made it clear that if the issues are not resolved, the team will leave the venue. He asked the HCA to inform the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and the Telangana government in writing, stating that they no longer want the team to play at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium. If the HCA has a problem with this, the team is ready to move to a different venue.

Mr. Srinath in the mail further said, "We have been working with HCA for the last 12 years and it is only since last season that we have had to face such problems," as per TOI report.

SRH GM Srinath in the email sent to the HCA explained the situation in detail. As per news reports, he said that for the past few years, the team has been giving 50 complimentary tickets to the HCA for the F12A box, which is part of the total 3,900 complimentary tickets.

This year HCA claimed that the capacity of the F12A box is only 30 this year. However, the state authority requested an additional 20 tickets in a separate box, claiming that 50 were insufficient. When the request was denied, the box was locked during the match of Sunrisers Vs Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Srinath wrote, "For several years, HCA has been allocated 50 complimentary tickets (F12A box) as part of the 3,900 complimentary tickets. However, this year, you are claiming the capacity of the box to be only 30 and requesting an additional 20 complimentary tickets in a different box. When this was brought to our notice, we informed you that we would discuss and reach a mutually amicable solution," TOI reported

GM Shrinath further said that when the team learned about this demand, they tried to discuss the issue. He pointed out that the Sunrisers are paying for the stadium rental, yet in the last match, the HCA locked the F3 box and refused to open it unless they got the extra 20 tickets. He made it clear that they will not tolerate such behavior, as they have been facing threats from the HCA for the last two years. He reminded the HCA that their agreement specifies that 10 percent of tickets should be complimentary, and asked for the Apex Council to step in and take action to resolve the issue.

HCA President Jagan Mohan confirmed that he had received the email from Sunrisers Hyderabad. He acknowledged that there is a disagreement between the HCA and SRH about the 20 complimentary tickets. Jagan Mohan told the Times of India that the issue is being looked into, and assured that it will be resolved soon.

About Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Sunrisers Hyderabad, or SRH, is a professional franchise cricket team that competes in the IPL. It is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana.. Kalanithi Maran of the SUN Group owns the franchise, which was created in 2012 after the IPL disbanded the Hyderabad team, Deccan Chargers. Kavya Maran is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SRH. The team has won the IPL 20 title only one time in 2016 under the captainship of Australian cricketer David Warner.

Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025 Points Table:

SRH holds the 7th position in the IPL 2025 points table on Sunday, after facing the defeat against Delhi Capitals (DC). The team has played 3 matches, securing 1 win and losing 2 matches, resulting in 2 points and a net run rate (NRR) of -0.871.