Published: March 3, 2026 at 10:17 pm
Who is to be blamed for the legal battle between Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) and Visaka Industries Pvt Limited which has resulted in HCA ‘paying’ Visaka over Rs 68 crore for a sponsorship deal worth Rs 4.32 crore? A certain section of the HCA as well as the Visaka Industries lay the blame on former HCA president and Test cricketer Arshad Ayub.
“In 2011, then HCA president Arshad Ayub unilaterally terminated the Sponsorship Agreement with Visaka, claiming that naming rights can fetch Rs 100 crore to HCA, he informed to the Executive Committee stating that he finalized discussion with a corporate entity which is willing to buy naming rights of stadium for Rs 100 crore; no such deal materialized,” says a press note released by Visaka Industries in a WhatsApp group on Tuesday.
HCA president Amarnath (from right to left), former president N Shivlal Yadav and joint secretary T Basava Raju address the media at the Gymkhana ground in Secunderabad on Tuesday
Some of the HCA officials, who had addressed a press conference at the Gymkhana on Tuesday, too are toeing a similar line and are pinning the entire blame on Ayub. A note circulated at the meeting blamed Ayub for terminating the agreement in 2011. The press conference was addressed by president Amarnath, joint secretary T Basava Raju and former president N Shivlal Yadav.
Naming stadium after Rajiv Gandhi depletes HCA coffers as Visaka takes its pound of flesh
However, things were not as projected by the officials. In fact, it was the HCA’s Executive Committee (EC) which had decided not to pay the compensation to the Visaka Industries for the IPL matches to be played in 2013. According to a report in the New Indian Express, MV Sridhar, secretary of the association, said they were still in talks with Visaka officials. “We will convey our feelings to the authorities concerned as compensation might not be possible this year and make a request,” he said.
EC had decided not to pay Visaka in 2013
The NIE report said the EC members were unanimous in their opinion not to pay any more compensation to the aggrieved party. “We will be conveying this news to the working committee of the BCCI which will be meeting in Mumbai tomorrow (Friday). We have been paying Rs 75 lakh for the last two years as compensation as per the agreement with the Visaka people,” said a source.
According to the HCA records, Arshad Ayub was president of HCA from 2010 to 2012 and 2015 to 2016. G Vinod was president from 2012 to 2014. MV Sridhar was the secretary from 2012 to 2014 and N Shivlal Yadav as vice-president from 2010 to 2014.
Does the president alone decide?
Even if the contract was terminated in 2011 and Ayub was the president, but the HCA was still paying Visaka Rs 73 lakh for every IPL season at least till 2013. And is the president the only one who decides on any matter? In those days there was an EC which used to take the decisions and not one single person.
And the incident of not paying compensation happened in 2013 which means that the president was G Vinod, brother of G Vivekanand owner of Visaka Industries Pvt Limited, and Sridhar was the secretary. This incident had led Visaka to go to court and seek compensation. In 2013, Ayub was not an EC member.
“It is pertinent to note that, Visaka had agreed to settle the issue with HCA out of court in lieu of Rs 17.50 crore (against Rs 25.92 crore awarded amount plus 18% PA interest from date of award till date of payment) and filed a joint memo on 16.08.2016, before the City Civil Court, Hyderabad; however, the understanding was later on withdrawn by Arshad Ayub, resulting in greater financial liability to HCA,” added the Visaka press release.
In good times: Shivlal Yadav and Arshad Ayub have been the stalwarts of the Hyderabad Cricket Association for more than four decades. Pic: The Hindu
After Ayub had to resign in the wake of the Lodha reforms in 2016, Vivekanand had become the president in 2017. But he did not resolve the matter when he could have easily done it so. After Vivek was debarred by the Ombudsman for conflict of interest, D Anil Kumar, who is close to Vivek, had become the acting president. But he too did not bother to resolve the matter and settle it for Rs 17.5 crore as agreed upon earlier.
Not fair to blame one person, says Shivlal
Quizzed on whether it was fair to blame one person for the entire episode, Shivlal said, “To be honest one person does not decide on such matters. It is a committee decision and to sit back now and say that those decisions were wrong is not fair. In the situation prevailing at that time, the committee may have taken a decision which may have backfired later on but pinning the blame on one person is not right. It is always a collective decision.”
On the way forward for the HCA, Shivlal said it is time to resolve the issue. “My personal opinion is that the HCA should talk with Visaka and negotiate the matter. A major part of the money which has been deposited in the court should come back for the development of cricket not only here but also in the districts,” he said.
Amarnath said that they were exploring all options as the money has not been still ‘given’ to Visaka. “The DDs have been deposited in the court, and we are still exploring all legal options. We are consulting legal experts and will act accordingly in the days to come,” he said.
