Mohammad Azharuddin regrets playing cricket: Check his heartbreaking message, ‘It pains me deeply…’

India's former cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin has expressed pain after the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) was ordered to remove his name from the North Pavilion Stand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad. Justice V Eswaraiah, the HCA’s Ethics Officer and Ombudsman, issued the directive, which has left Azharuddin feeling heartbroken and prompted him to urge the BCCI to take action.

Why was Azharuddin’s name removed?

The controversy started when a local group called the Lords Cricket Club filed a petition with the Hyderabad Cricket Association. They claimed that Azharuddin, who was HCA president, had wrongly named the North Pavilion Stand after himself. According to their argument, it was a conflict of interest because Azharuddin decided without approval from the HCA’s General Body or Apex Council, the key decision-making groups.

Justice Eswaraiah agreed to the claim and declared in his 25-page verdict, “The fact that there has been no ratification/modification of the decision by the General Body further strengthens the case against the Respondent No. 1 (Azharuddin), as the Respondent No. 1 has exceeded his authority to benefit himself. In consequence of my findings, a clear case of conflict of interest is made out.”

The HCA has given instructions to exclude Azharuddin’s name from tickets for the IPL 2025 season, with the stadium hosting five matches at the venue.

Azharuddin's painful take

Azharuddin expressed his heartbreak after the verdict, “It pains me deeply to say this, but I sometimes regret having played cricket. It’s heartbreaking to see individuals with little to no understanding of the game now in positions to teach and lead. It is a complete disgrace to the sport,” he told Gulf News.

Azharuddin also believes the decision is part of a deeper vendetta. “What's unfolding is beyond comprehension, and it hurts me on a personal level. I was not allowed to contest the HCA elections simply because I exposed the corruption within the system. That truth made me a target,” he added.

Call for justice

Calling the ruling an injustice, Azharuddin has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to intervene and help. “I am determined to pursue legal action against this injustice, and I urge the BCCI to intervene and take appropriate action. This issue isn’t isolated, Sunrisers Hyderabad also had a dispute with the association overpasses, highlighting a pattern of conflict and poor governance,” he said.

A push to honour VVS Laxman

Adding to Azharuddin’s pain, Lords Cricket Club has urged the HCA to rename the North Pavilion Stand after VVS Laxman, a Hyderabad cricketing icon. The petition demands the stand be called the VVS Laxman Pavilion for all purposes, including signage and tickets, arguing Azharuddin’s actions were “illegal, arbitrary.”