Rajiv Shukla Clears Up Air After Punjab Minister Slams BCCI Over World Cup Venues Distribution
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled their entire schedule for the upcoming 2023 World Cup. As per the slate, around 48 matches will be played across 10 different venues, with Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium hosting the summit clash on November 19.
Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram were elected as venues for warm-up matches, alongside Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, which is slated to host three World Cup games as well.
Meanwhile, stadiums from Mohali, Indore and Nagpur were among the prominent venues left out of the tournament. Needless to say, cricket associations and politicians from these centres feel they were wrongfully ignored by the Indian board.
Punjab Sports Minister slams BCCI for Mohali exclusion
The PCA Stadium in Mohali hosted three matches in the 2011 World Cup, including the blockbuster semi-final clash between India and Pakistan. The venue also staged the high-octane India-Australia game in the 2016 T20 World Cup.
With their exclusion from the upcoming tournament, Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has expressed some strong reactions towards the BCCI. He alleged that the exclusion of Punjab’s Mohali from the list of host cities was due to a political interference, and the Punjab government will be raising the issue with the Indian board.
However, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla denied those claims and stated that the stadium will keep hosting bilateral series matches. He also added that Mohali’s PCA Stadium did not meet the standards of the ICC, and the venue selection was based on a rational system. While speaking to the ANI, he said:
No 'pick and choose' has been done: Rajeev Shukla
"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."
The 2023 World Cup will launch on October 5 with a match between 2019 finalists England and New Zealand. Hosts India will have their campaign started against five-time winners in Chennai on October 8.
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