The BCCI’s managing and organising committees for the World Twenty20 did not rule out Chennai as a venue for next year’s event but have decided not to allot any of India’s matches to the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
“A detailed discussion was held today on the organising of the World T20 2016 in India. There were certain centres which were given a deadline to submit the completion report by August 25,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur told reporters after the joint committee meeting at the BCCI headquarters here on Thursday. “We are still waiting for their completion certificates.”
“In Chennai there is a problem; three stands don’t have a completion certificate.
“So, we have kept pending the details of the matches and the schedule which was to be submitted to the ICC. But the committee has met and worked out the details.”
While Thakur was not specific about it, a committee member confirmed to The Hindu that the reworked fixtures being sent to the ICC did not feature any of India’s games in Chennai.
In the draft fixtures prepared by the organising committee earlier, India was scheduled to play Australia in Chennai.
“We have not ruled out Chennai. The only issue is which matches can be played in Chennai.
“There are certain limitations also. You can’t play Sri Lanka over there, three stands are not complete,” Thakur said.
“You can’t keep the fans away from those games; so many things have to be considered before allocating matches to these centres.”
Chennai’s loss may end up being Bengaluru’s gain as the Garden City is the likely venue for the India-Australia match. In the earlier draft, Bengaluru was the only major centre which was deprived of an India game or a knockout tie.
Thakur clarified that the BCCI had not given an extended deadline to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, instead putting the ball in ICC’s court.
“We will send the details to the ICC for approval, and then the fixtures will be released,” he said.
As for the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi which has been mired in controversies over the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association’s irregularities, the BCCI has decided to wait and watch for the court directive instead of dropping it as a venue.
If Delhi continues to be a venue, it will most likely host India’s high-profile clash against Pakistan.
Mohali and Mumbai will stage the semifinals, while the Eden Gardens in Kolkata is scheduled to host the final on April 3.
