Published: February 28, 2026 at 11:39 pm
The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) officials may never have imagined that naming their stadium at Uppal after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi would turn out to be a noose around their neck. Two decades after the naming of the stadium after Rajiv Gandhi, the HCA had to shell out over Rs 68 crore to Visaka Industries as compensation for ‘breach of contract’.
Recently the money was transferred from the HCA bank account to the court, which is hearing the case between HCA and Visaka Industries Limited. Demand drafts in favour of Principal Special Court in the Cadre of District Judge for trial and disposal of commercial disputes at Hyderabad were sent by the bank on February 2, 2026. The total amount was for Rs 68,73,19,584 (Rs sixty-eight crore seventy-three lakh nineteen thousand five hundred and eighty-four). The order was passed by the said court on November 24, 2025.
Visaka have won the arbitration and will take home the bounty. But one is reminded of the words of the legendary GR Vishwanath, “What is the value of a hollow win?” Legally, Visaka have triumphed, but they have shown a distinct disdain for the spirit of the game. What is ironical is the fact that Visaka industries is a member of the HCA but has been willing to bleed the association badly.
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“How can Visaka still be a member of the HCA? They may have won the legal battle, but they have no moral right to continue in the HCA. There were tall claims that they had given the money to support cricket but at the end of the day, they proved that their only interest was in the money and not cricket,” said a club secretary. “HCA had got only Rs 4.32 crore from Visaka but have now paid them over Rs 68 crore. Is that fair?”
Whose money is going to fill the Visaka coffers? Will those officials who signed the contract hastily without going through the terms and conditions be held accountable? Or will the officials who over the years have neglected the issue be asked to pay the compensation? Isn’t it time that administrators are held responsible and made to pay the penalty?
Every year, the BCCI gives money to the state associations for the development of cricket and the welfare of the cricketers. But the HCA has been spending the money in fighting cases in the court and paying penalties. Though the HCA is one of the oldest members of the BCCI, it still doesn’t own assets of its own.
Unreasonable and harsh penalty
“The contract was heavily loaded in favour of Visaka Industries. Since the HCA was starved of financial resources at the time of construction, the papers were signed blindly without looking into the pros and cons of it,” said former office-bearer S Venkateswaran.
“The agreement was terminated hastily by the then president Arshad Ayub keeping in view the benefits the company had gained over the years but also with an eye on signing a new contract with another firm which would have paid much more to HCA,” he said.
“I am of the opinion that being a member of HCA, Visaka Industries could have compromised on a reasonable amount of penalty and saved the HCA’s coffers. This money could be utilized for infrastructure development. I thought it was a bit unreasonable and harsh. Yes, technically they may be right but not with a right conscience, I suppose six times without interest would have been reasonable,” he added.
Telangana minister G Vivekananda addressing a press conference at the RGIC Stadium in Uppal regarding the Kaka Venkataswamy Memorial Telangana Inter-District T20 League in December. Visaka Industries has been fighting a case against HCA but still uses the HCA facilities for its tournament
“The bonhomie between the Visaka owners and the HCA officials is baffling. How can someone who is bleeding the HCA still use the HCA platform for his own benefits,” asked a club secretary. “Once the payment is done, the HCA should terminate the membership of Visaka Industries and also debar the owners from being members of the HCA in any form,” he said.
Money meant for cricket being squandered
“The BCCI gives money for the development of cricket. The money which should go in helping children from poor and lower middle-class families, who cannot afford to pay for training and playing the game, is being given away to a corporate company. The HCA, over the years, has failed to raise money of its own and depends only on the BCCI. Even that money is now being squandered away,” said club secretary RM Bhaskar, who has been a vocal voice against corruption in the association.
While some club secretaries are worried about the financial losses to the institution, many others are least bothered about this issue. They will continue to support those who have bleed the association as these secretaries are only bothered about their financial gains and groupism and not the game.
The saga started in 2003 when the HCA submitted a proposal for building a new stadium to then government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu. The proposal was cleared and the government identified a large piece of land suitable for the stadium at Uppal.
Saga of controversy started in 2004
On October 16, 2004, HCA and Visaka Industries entered into an agreement under which the latter earned the right to name the stadium and also advertisement and branding rights. The actual amount was Rs 6.5 crore and Visaka paid an advance amount of Rs 4.32 crore.
Visaka responded by invoking arbitration, which culminated in an award passed on March 15, 2016, in its favour
By 2005 most of the stadium was built and it was ready to host its first ODI match between India and South Africa. However, former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy decided to change the name of the stadium to Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium (RGIC) in memory of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
This triggered off the first controversy between the HCA and Visaka Industries and there was much political jostling involved as Visaka was pressurized to drop its name from the stadium. The HCA said it could, instead, name one end as Visaka End and other terms of the contract would continue. As a concession, the HCA agreed to drop the remaining amount of the contract.
For the next few years, Visaka Industries enjoyed all the benefits which it was entitled to according to the contract. “It used to be given corporate boxes, tickets and also branding rights inside the stadium etc,” said Bhaskar.
IPL lands a death blow to deal
The second blow came when the Indian Premier League (IPL) was launched in 2008 and the RGIC stadium was chosen to be the home ground of Deccan Chargers. The IPL Governing Council wanted a ‘clean’ stadium without any advertisement encumbrances. The governing council did not agree to the commercial interests’ clause as IPL was non-existent when the deal was struck. Visaka Industries then went for arbitration. And the HCA, as per the court arbitration award, had paid Rs 75 lakh for the IPL matches.
However, in 2013, the executive committee (EC) of the HCA decided not to pay any compensation to the Visaka Industries for the IPL matches to be played for that year. The EC members were of the opinion that they had paid Visaka enough during the preceding years.
Visaka responded by invoking arbitration, which culminated in an award passed on March 15, 2016, in its favour. The Telangana High Court later dismissed a commercial appeal filed by the HCA, thereby upholding an arbitral award of Rs 25.92 crore in favour of M/s Visaka Industries Limited.
Compensation negotiated but not paid
HCA, during the tenure of president Arshad Ayub, chose to cancel the contract and after the court order they negotiated to pay Rs 17.5 crore as compensation. But that did not happen. “Unfortunately, the HCA could not pay Visaka that amount as the funds from the BCCI were withheld and the HCA did not have money to pay the compensation,” said a former office-bearer.
The HCA officials had failed to pursue the matter to its logical end money meant cricket development has been given away to Visaka
“The administrators after that did not bother to pursue the case to its logical end and, hence, we are now burdened with such a huge payment,” he added.
Vivek as HCA president did not resolve issue
Ironically, Dr G Vivek, who is the owner of Visaka Industries, had become the president of the HCA after Ayub but he chose not to resolve the matter. “I had categorically told Vivek to make the payment and thereby it would also free him from the conflict of interest. But he did not want to do it during his tenure. We also had for an Apex Council meet for this matter, but Vivek recused himself saying it was not proper to be in the meeting,” said T Shesh Narayan, who was the secretary at that time.
However, things were not resolved, and Vivek was soon caught in the conflict-of-interest clause and was removed by the Ombudsman.
Things went downhill thereafter and the matter was not settled by the administrators who came to power after Vivek. In the end, cricket development will take a backseat in the HCA. Neither the administrators, club secretaries nor Visaka have suffered any loss. It is only cricket and cricketers who will bear the brunt of this case for years to come.
