Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin said he will take action against the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) Ombudsman's order to remove his name from the North Pavilion Stand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Justice V. Eswaraiah, HCA ethics officer and Ombudsman, passed the order after reviewing a petition by Hyderabad's Lords Cricket Club (LCC) that accused Azhauddin of using his authority as HCA president to rename the North Stand on his name from 'WS Laxman Stand'.

"I will definitely take legal recourse and will be appealing to the High Court to stay this order. It is a shame that an India captain's name is being asked to be removed," Azharuddin told PTI.

Azharuddin claimed that the Ombudsman's tenure had already ended in February and any order passed by him is null and void. He accused HCA of not respecting former cricketers. He clarified that he didn't remove VVS Laxman's name from the stand, and a pavilion in his name is still present at the stadium. Azharuddin didn't mince words and accused LCC of indulging in corrupt activities.

"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?" Azharuddin asked.

"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, the Ombudsman is acting? The club (Lords Cricket Club) where there is no transparency as to who is the actual owner and who runs it," he said.

"Am I 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.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from IPL 2025,IPL Orange Cap, IPL Purple Cap, Most Sixes in IPL, Cricket, Sports and around the world.