Mohammad Azharuddin, a former India captain, will no longer have a stand named after him at Hyderabad's Uppal Stadium. The decision to remove his name from the North Stand was made following a complaint filed by the city-based Lords Cricket Club in February of this year over a potential 'conflict of interest'.

The North Stand, formerly the VVS Laxman Pavilion, was renamed the Azharuddin Stand in 2019. Interestingly, Azharuddin, a former India captain, was president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) at the time.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has been ordered to remove Mohammed Azharuddin's name from the North Pavilion Stand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad.

The HCA has also been instructed not to print any future tickets containing Azharuddin's name. Justice V Eswaraiah, the HCA's Ethics Officer and Ombudsman, issued the order on Saturday.  

The Ombudsman was investigating the petition filed by the Lords Cricket Club. He ruled that there is a conflict of interest because Azharuddin, a former India captain and HCA president, made a personal decision in his own favor.

"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," Justice V Eswaraiah declared in his 25-page verdict as per Cricbuzz.

Petitioner Lords Cricket Club pleaded with the Ombudsman to set aside the 'high handed' action of Azharuddin in naming the North Stand as Mohammed Azharuddin Stand and it be continued as the VVS Laxman Stand "for all practical purposes including but not limited to signages, printing of tickets etc. and pass any such order or orders as are deemed fit and proper in the circumstances of the case and the interest of justice."

Citing Rule 38, the petition claimed that a member of the Apex Council cannot decide in their favor. As a result, the request to remove Azharuddin's name from the stand was made.

Azharuddin, who was furious after the HCA ombudsman accepted his plea, promised to take the case to court.

"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. This is how you treat cricketers in Hyderabad. It's a very sad state of affairs. We will go to the court, 100%. The law will take its course," he was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

The Lords Cricket Club, however, is happy with the outcome of the plea.

"This decision reinforces our commitment to transparency and integrity. We thank the authorities for their fair and just evaluation," the club's treasurer, Somna Misra, told the paper.

Mohammad Azharuddin played for India from 1985 to 2000. He played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs, scoring 6215 and 9378 runs respectively, with a total of 29 centuries to his name. His career ended when the BCCI banned him after Hansie Cronje allegedly admitted that Azhar was the one who introduced him to the bookies.