In what has come as a major blow to former India cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin, the Hyderabad Cricket Association has been asked to remove the stand named after him at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, citing a conflict of interest for the former HCA president, according to a report in Cricbuzz. The Hyderabad Cricket Association has been told to ensure that tickets are not printed with Azharuddin’s name after that. Justice V. Eswaraiah, the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s ethics officer and Ombudsman, passed the order on Saturday, April 19. Eswaraiah ordered that it is a case of conflict of interest as Azharuddin, a former India skipper and former Hyderabad Cricket Association president, has decided in his favour. “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,” Eswaraiah said in his 25-page verdict. A complaint was filed on February 28, 2025, by Hyderabad-based outfit Lords Cricket Club, one of the 226 members of the Hyderabad Cricket Association. LCC said that the step to name the stand after Azharuddin violated the Memorandum of Association and Rules & Regulations of the Hyderabad Cricket Association. LCC requested Eswaraiah to set aside Azharuddin’s high-handed action in naming the North Stand by his name, and it be continued as the WS Laxman Stand for all practical purposes, including but not limited to signages, printing of tickets, etc. It was said that Azharuddin’s action is illegal, arbitrary, and there is no decision of the General Body or the Apex Council for allowing the ‘Mohammed Azharuddin Stand’ above the name of the ‘WS Laxman Pavilion’. In an Apex Council meeting on November 25, 2019, which was presided over by Azharuddin, a decision was taken to name the North Stand after his name, which was then called the VVS Laxman Pavilion. Azharuddin has denied all charges of a conflict of interest and said that he will approach the High Court challenging Eswaraiah’s order. “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,” Azharuddin said while speaking to The Hindu.