Kushitha Kallapu (left), the complementary tickets (right)
Hyderabad: The complimentary tickets of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Uppal stadium on Saturday, April 18, meant for Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy ended up in the hands of a young actress, sparking a controversy.
The one to reveal the tickets fall through the cracks was none other than the actress herself, who got the two tickets reportedly worth Rs 40,000 each to sit and watch the match from the Sunrisers Elite Lounge – a boon for any cricket lover.
The lucky woman in question is Kushitha Kallapu, a model and actress, who posted the pictures of the two tickets on her Instagram handle, which soon became viral on social media.
Kallapu has acted in Telugu films “Changure Bangaru Raja, Neethone Nenu, Babu – No.1 Bullshit Guy, and Manoharam,” and is a model who has appeared in advertisement of various brands. She has 1.1 million followers on Instagram.
The tickets were among the complimentary tickets of SRH that were meant to be given to the Chief Minister as per protocol.
It was not known how the tickets ended up in the hands of Kallapu.
If the IPL complimentary/protocol passes were given to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), which are often issued by the organisers (franchise, stadium authority, board, sponsor) for protocol/security/government coordination, they are not personal property of the CMO staff or political office-bearers.
They should generally be used for official purposes, protocol guests, security coordination or as per internal allocation norms. Arbitrary distribution to friends, party workers, donors or favourites can raise ethical and legal concerns.
Ironically, a dispute over complimentary tickets had soured relations between the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) and SRH to the point where Chief Minister Revanth Reddy ordered an inquiry into the allegations.
The HCA had locked up the F3 Corporate Box, demanding 20 extra tickets to its quota, just hours before the match in 2025. The Sunrisers manager, Srinath, had alleged blackmail and intimidation by the HCA that they would obstruct supplying water and electricity if its demands were not met. The HCA had dismissed those allegations.
Finally, Revanth Reddy had to intervene into Sunrisers’ allegation against HCA and ordered the then Director General (Vigilance and Enforcement) K Sreenivasa Reddy to inquire into it.
This post was last modified on April 18, 2026 8:32 pm