A major controversy has occured in Indian domestic cricket, with the president, treasurer, and CEO of a prominent cricket board being arrested on serious charges.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Telangana Police has arrested Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president, treasurer, CEO and two others on charges of forgery, fraud and misappropriation of funds.

The CID on Thursday said it had arrested HCA president A. Jagan Mohan Rao, treasurer C.J. Srinivasa Rao, CEO Sunil Kante, Sri Chakra Cricket Club general secretary Rajendra Yadav and Chakra Cricket Club president G. Kavitha.

According to CID Additional DGP Charu Sinha, it is a case of forgery of documents and criminal breach of trust for the purpose of cheating and misappropriation of funds by the accused. Based on the complaint of Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) general secretary Dharam Guruva Reddy, the CID registered a criminal case under various sections on June 9.

Additional DGP said in a statement, “Based on the investigation by CID officials and evidence collected, it has been revealed that accused A. Jagan Mohan Rao in collusion with C. Rajendra Yadav and his wife G. Kavitha prepared fake documents of Sri Chakra Cricket Club, called Gowlipura Cricket Club. They forged the signature of Gowlipura Cricket Club president C. Krishna Yadav. These fake documents were used as genuine, which helped A. Jagan Mohan Rao to fraudulently gain entry to the post of president in Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA)”

Charu Sinha further said, “Jagan Mohan Rao, along with other accused-treasurer CJ Srinivas Rao, HCA CEO Sunil Kante and some others, committed fraud and misuse of public funds with malicious intent. These people wrongfully obstructed the officials of Sunrisers Hyderabad and intimidated and blackmailed them regarding free tickets and access to corporate boxes. Apart from this, they also threatened them with dire consequences.”

There were allegations of ticket irregularities during the IPL 2025 season at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The HCA president and other officials allegedly pressured IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for additional tickets, including tickets for individual sale. SRH accused Rao of threatening, coercing and blackmailing over complimentary tickets and corporate boxes.

After the SRH franchise threatened to relocate the team from Hyderabad, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed the Vigilance Commission to look into the matter. The Commission reportedly confirmed the allegations made by the SRH management against HCA officials and recommended action against them.

Jagan Mohan Rao, who was elected as HCA President in October 2023, is also the founder of the Akshara Educational Society, established in 2010 with six schools. In addition, he has founded two NGOs focused on providing education and creating employment opportunities. Rao has held several key positions in handball administration, including President and General Secretary of the Handball Federation of India, President of the Premier Handball League, and President of the Telangana Handball Association.