BCCI vice president's strong reply to ‘political interference’ claims on selection of World Cup 2023 venues
After Punjab Sports Minister criticised BCCI for excluding Mohali as a venue for the World Cup, the board vice president Rajeev Shukla provided an explanation.
The Indian cricket board (BCCI) was heavily criticised by traditional state associations which were not allotted matches during the ICC World Cup 2023, the schedule for which was announced in an ICC event in Mumbai on Tuesday. 10 venues - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Dharamsala, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune - were announced to stage the 48 matches of the ODI World Cup to be played between October 5 and November 19. Trivandrum and Guwahati will host warm-up matches. Some of the centres that would feel they were done by are Mohali, Indore, Rajkot, Ranchi and Nagpur.
Mohali, a stadium which has been hosting important World Cup matches since 1996, was the most surprising of the lot. Needless to say, the strongest reaction also came from that region. After Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer criticised BCCI for excluding Mohali as a venue for the World Cup, the board vice president Rajeev Shukla provided an explanation.
"The exclusion of Punjab's Mohali from the list of host cities for the tournament was due to political interference. Punjab government will raise this issue with BCCI," Hayer had said.
Shukla said that bilateral series matches will be given to Mohali and there will be no discrimination.
‘Current stadium in Mohali did not meet the standards of ICC and hence was denied matches’
"Virat Kohli's 100th Test last year was given to Mohali. Mullanpur Stadium is getting ready in Mohali. Had it been ready, they would have got a World Cup match. The current stadium in Mohali did not meet the standards of ICC and hence was denied matches. But that does not matches would not be given to them. Bilateral series matches will be given to them, it is based on a rotational system. No 'pick and choose' has been done. ICC's consent is important in finalising the venues. In Trivandrum, warm-up matches have been given, for the first time. It is not that any centre/zone has been ignored. Stadiums have been chosen after a lot of consideration, even in North East Zone, Guwahati got the matches. A lot of accommodation has been done in the schedule," he told news agency ANI.
Shukla said that this time 12 venues have been chosen for the mega cricketing event, something which has not happened before.
"For the first time, 12 venues have been chosen for World Cup. Earlier, these many venues were not chosen in previous World Cups. Out of these 12 venues, warm-up matches will be held in Trivandrum and Guwahati, remaining venues will have league matches. More centres have been accommodated. From South Zone four venues, from central zone one venue, West Zone two, and North Zone two venues. Delhi and Dharamshala will host the matches (In North Zone)," he added.
Shikla also talked about the addition of new venues like Lucknow, Guwahati and Trivandrum.
"Lucknow has been added. Uttar Pradesh never got a chance to host a World Cup match. Guwahati has been given a chance. Many venues from the South have been added. A fair amount of consideration was given before venues were finalised. ICC has to approve these venues. It is not purely in our hands. All those raising objections should realise that we need consent from ICC to pick up these venues," he said.
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