In a major development, The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has been ordered to remove the name of from the North Pavilion Stand of the , Uppal, Hyderabad. The move has come as a latest blow to theformer India captain and ex-Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president.
The directive comes following an order from the HCA's Ombudsman and Ethics Officer, Justice V. Eswaraiah, who cited a clear conflict of interest in the decision to name the stand after Azharuddin. The Hyderabad Cricket Association has been told to ensure that tickets are not printed with Azharuddin’s name after that.
According to a report from Cricbuzz, the ruling was passed on April 19 after a complaint was lodged earlier this year by Lords Cricket Club (LCC), one of HCA’s 226 affiliated units. The complaint, filed on February 28, 2025, argued that naming the North Stand after Azharuddin was in violation of HCA’s Memorandum of Association and its internal rules.
Mohammed Azharuddin controversy
The controversy dates back to a November 25, 2019, Apex Council meeting chaired by Azharuddin himself, where the decision to rename the VVS Laxman Pavilion as the ‘Mohammed Azharuddin Stand’ was taken. However, the Ethics Officer has now determined that such a move lacked procedural approval and was self-serving.
“The fact that there has been no ratification/modification of the decision by the General Body further strengthens the case against the Respondent No. 1 (Azharuddin), as the Respondent No. 1 has exceeded his authority to benefit himself," Justice Eswaraiah noted in his 25-page order.
Azharuddin has denied all charges of a conflict of interest and said that he will approach the High Court challenging Eswaraiah’s order.
Speaking to The Hindu he said, “There’s no conflict of interest in this. I don’t want to comment, I don’t want to stoop to this level. The cricketing world will laugh at the association. 17 years of cricket, almost 10 years as captain of the side, and with distinction,"
