HCA removes Mohammad Azhardin’s name from the stand called VS LAXMAN.

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HCA removes Mohammad Azhardin’s name from the stand called VS LAXMAN.

The stand was named after Laxman in the year he retired from the international cricket. However, it was renamed in 2019 to honor Azhardin.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) Ombudsman has ordered the removal of Mohammad Azharuddin’s name from the North Pavilion Stand of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

Azharuddin misused power to name the stand after him

The move comes after a complaint was filed on February 28, 2024 by the Lords Cricket Club (LCC), which is a member of the HCA. The complaint stated that Azharuddin had violated the Memorandum of Association and Rules & Regulations by renaming the stand in his name.

As per the complaint, according to rule number 38, the stand shouldn’t have been renamed since Azharuddin, who was part of the Apex Council as the HCA President, also voted to rename the stand. This is a clear conflict of interest.

“This decision reinforces our commitment to transparency and integrity. We thank the authorities for their fair and just evaluation,” LCC club’s treasurer, Somna Misra, said.

Therefore, former acting chief justice V. Eswraiah has issued the order which states that tickets for upcoming matches of the Sunrisers Hyderabad can’t be printed in Azharuddin’s name.

Stand was named after VVS Laxman before

For the unaware, the North Pavilion Stand was named after another former Indian great, VVS Laxman. The latter had retired on August 18, 2012, from international cricket, and to honour him, HCA named the stand after him on August 24. However, 7 years later, it was renamed from VVS Laxman Stand to Mohammed Azharuddin Stand.

Azharuddin to take legal action

The former Indian captain has responded to the order and stated that he’ll be taking the matter to court. “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. This is how you treat cricketers in Hyderabad. It’s a very sad state of affairs. We will go to the court, 100%. The law will take its course,” Azharuddin told The Hindu.