Former India skipper Mohammed Azharuddin broke his silence and expressed his desire to approach the Telangana High Court, seeking a stay on the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) Ombudsman’s order to remove his name from the North Stand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. According to reports, Justice (Retd) V Eswaraiah, who is also the HCA’s ethics officer, passed an order on Saturday to remove the former Indian captain’s name from his stand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, citing a conflict of interest. It was said that the Ombudsman came to the decision based on a petition filed by the Lords Cricket Club — one of HCA’s member units — which alleged that Azharuddin misused his position as then HCA President by taking arbitrary decisions. The petition alleged that the veteran of 99 Tests and 334 ODIs violated HCA rules by sitting in the Apex Council meeting as former HCA president to get the resolution passed on naming the North Stand after him in December 2019, barely a month after he became the association chief. The Hyderabad Cricket Association has been told to ensure that tickets are not printed with Azharuddin’s name after that. The news reportedly did not sit well with Azharuddin, as the former Indian skipper spoke out against the ‘shame’ and announced his desire to fight back against the order. “I will definitely take legal recourse and will be appealing to the High Court to stay this order. It is a shame that an Indian captain’s name is being asked to be removed,” Azharuddin reportedly told PTI. Azharuddin then brought to light and questioned the validity of the order, alleging that it would be ‘null and void’ since the Ombudsman’s tenure had officially ended. “As per the by-laws of the association, the Ombudsman/Ethics Officer’s tenure is for one year. In this case, the Ombudsman’s tenure had ended on February 18, 2025, and any order passed after that period is null and void. “He hasn’t got extension, which can only be given during the AGM, which hasn’t happened. So, how did he pass an order?” the 62-year-old asked. Azharuddin also alleged he is being targeted by a handful of HCA officials in particular, due to the former Indian skipper bringing the hammer down on corrupt practices during his tenure as president. “Crooks, who have never held a bat in their hands, are pointing fingers at me. If they want to remove my name from the stand, the man who played 433 games for India, then you might as well take down Shivlal Yadav’s (former India off-spinner) name, as it was also done when he was the HCA president. “You take down names of Abid Ali, Tiger Pataudi, and ML Jaisimha. This is one association that doesn’t respect players. And on whose petition is the Ombudsman acting? The club (Lords Cricket Club), where there is no transparency as to who the actual owner is and who runs it?” he quizzed. 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. “Am I a fool to remove a legend like Laxman’s name from the stand, the only man who has played 100-plus Tests from our region? In the North Stand, the pavilion is named after Laxman, and it is still there, you can check,” he clarified. He also indulged in spirited criticism of the current HCA president, Jagan Mohan Rao, highlighting the pitfalls and disappointments brought about under Rao’s tenure. “This is one association that doesn’t know how to respect its stars. Look at how Sunrisers Hyderabad were harassed for extra free tickets, and the BCCI had to intervene. “Since I have raised questions about their manner of functioning, this (the order) has happened. But, I will not take these insults lying down,” he warned. (with agency inputs)