A day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced the schedule for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup-2023, a political war has ensued over the exclusion of Mohali’s Punjab Cricket Association Stadium (PCA) from the list of venues.
Punjab’s leaders, including the state’s Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, lashed out for discriminating with Punjab, while hinting at the “political interference” in scheduling. Questions were also raised on Ahmedabad getting big-ticket matches over many other venues.
Condemning the exclusion of Mohali from the list of host cities for Cricket World Cup-2023, Hayer had described the move as an “open discrimination” against Punjab. He even declared that the State Government would take up the matter with the BCCI.
Notably, it was for the first time since the construction of PCA Stadium-Mohali that a World Cup was being held in India and the city was not chosen as a venue for any match. Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata are the 10 venues chosen for the marquee tournament.
Questioning the BCCI why Mohali was not chosen as a venue for the ODI World Cup, former Union Minister and Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari on Wednesday took to Twitter to express his displeasure. “Why skip Mohali as venue of the World Cup? @ShuklaRajiv @BCCI @cricketworldcup @ICC,” he tweeted.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha member from Punjab Vikramjit Singh Sahney also appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the BCCI to consider Mohali as a host venue for at least one match during the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, scheduled for October-November.
Sahney said that he will be meeting Jay Shah, BCCI secretary, who also represents India on the ICC Board, to request him to include Mohali as one of the venues for the World Cup.
Expressing his concerns regarding the selection of 10 venues for the Cricket World Cup, he emphasized that it was unfortunate to leave out a significant venue like Mohali, which has been rated as “very good” for its pitch and outfield quality according to the ICC grading chart.
“The cricket stadium in Mohali boasts of excellent infrastructure and superior facilities compared to some of the stadiums that have been chosen for the World Cup matches,” he said while highlighting the presence of an international airport and several five-star hotels in Mohali, which further enhances its ability to host World Cup matches.
In addition, Sahney appealed to the BCCI to consider including the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali for the upcoming India-Australia series.
Also underscoring PCA-Mohali’s legacy when it comes to hosting Cricket World Cups, Sahney mentioned that the stadium has successfully organized the historic India versus Pakistan semi-final in 2011, and the momentous stadium also witnessed the 1996 semi-final between West Indies and Australia.
The Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa blamed the AAP-led State Government for the exclusion of Mohali Cricket Stadium. “The AAP Government and the PCA should have sped up the construction work of the new stadium, knowing that the World Cup was around the corner. AAP Government has failed to improve the law-and-order situation in the State, which is another reason for the stadium's exclusion,” he said.
“The organized crime in the State has been on the rise ever since AAP got hold of power in the state,” said Bajwa, adding that AAP must explain whether it is due to security reasons that the only international cricket stadium in the State has been excluded from the list of venues for hosting Cricket World Cup 2023 matches.
Bajwa said that the exclusion of Mohali Cricket Stadium would hurt the state’s tourism industry and economy. He also questioned the appointment of Amarjit Mehta, a Bhatinda-based former car dealer with no experience in cricket, as the new PCA chief.
At the same time, Bajwa also attacked the BCCI for “discriminating against Punjab” and giving undue priority to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which is scheduled to host both the opening and final matches of the World Cup.
“The BCCI should have been more mindful of the sentiments of the people of Punjab…The exclusion of Mohali Cricket Stadium is a clear case of bias against the state,” he said.