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Xtar Time Web Desk: Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation related to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). Azharuddin, who was the HCA president from 2019 to 2022, is under scrutiny for allegedly misappropriating ₹20 crore intended for infrastructure upgrades at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The funds were earmarked for essential improvements, including diesel generators, firefighting systems, and canopies.

The ED’s investigation stems from three FIRs filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Hyderabad. The charge sheets allege that HCA officials, including Azharuddin, conspired with private contractors to inflate tender prices and sidestep standard procedures. It is further alleged that advance payments were made before the contracted work was completed.

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Azharuddin, who was scheduled to appear before the ED on October 4, has requested more time to submit his response regarding the matter.

This is not Azharuddin's first brush with controversy. In 2000, the BCCI imposed a life ban on him for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal, a revelation that rocked Indian cricket. As the captain of the Indian cricket team at the time, Azharuddin became a key figure in the investigation, which also implicated players like Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar.

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Despite his tainted past, Azharuddin re-entered cricket administration in 2019, when he was appointed president of the HCA. The same year, the BCCI symbolically welcomed him back by honouring him during the pink-ball Test against Bangladesh.

Azharuddin's legacy remains a mix of achievements in Indian cricket and controversies that have clouded his career.