KTR urges BCCI not to leave out Hyderabad for IPL matches

HCA’s squabbles may cost the city from being considered as a venue

February 28, 2021 09:30 pm | Updated March 01, 2021 10:41 am IST - Hyderabad

An IPL match being held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad .

An IPL match being held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad .

Municipal Administration Minister K.T. Rama Rao has appealed to the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council to ensure that Hyderabad was one of the venues for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

The tweet said: “Open appeal to @BCCI and @IPL office bearers to include Hyderabad as one of the venues for upcoming IPL season. Our effective COVID containment measures are reflected in our low number of cases among all metro cities in India & we assure you of all support from the Govt.’’

Though officially the BCCI has not so far announced the venues for the upcoming 2021 IPL, season media reports said that Hyderabad may not be part of this season, and Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Delhi will be the venues due to COVID-19 related measures.

The Minister’s argument is that if COVID19 was the issue Hyderabad was better managed than most of the other cities being considered. The city cannot be denied the opportunity to host the IPL matches on Covid-19 grounds. Hyderabad is the official venue for Sun Risers Hyderabad team.

Mr. Rama Rao apparently took upon himself to ensure that Hyderabad is not missed out on the final venues as the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) looked helpless at the BCCI doorsteps due to its internal squabbles. The HCA is plagued by differences with its president Mohd. Azharuddin and another group led by Secretary R. Vijayanand at loggerheads due to some organisational issues. Recently, six members of the Apex Council held a meeting, which Mr. Azharuddin preferred to ignore and call it unofficial as well.

There is a difference of opinion among Mr. Azharuddin and other members over the conduct of the Annual General Meeting. Cricket lovers feel their differences have seriously affected Hyderabad players. In fact, not a single player from Hyderabad is part of the Sun Risers Hyderabad team.

In the recent IPL auctions no player from Hyderabad was picked up by the SRH franchise leading to criticism. The TRS MLA and former Minister, Danam Nagender expressed his displeasure on the exclusion of city players openly and also called for an answer from the SRH franchise.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.