Cricket fans in the state are disappointed after it was revealed that no matches of the Indian Premier league (IPl) will be played at Parsada, in Naya Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium.
“It is sad that not even a single match out of total 40 matches is scheduled in Raipur. We have a stadium of international standards still the fans in Chhattisgarh have to bear this step-motherly treatment,” said a young entrepreneur of the state capital Vineet Agrawal, who had caught the live match last time. The fans were hoping that Raipur will again host IPl matches and attract crowds from all over the state, but they are now disheartened by this decision.
“I was saving money to buy tickets for me and my father as we both are huge fans of cricket but now we will have to satisfy ourselves by watching the match on television. We had a lot of expectations to catch the cricketers live this season,” said Piyush Sharma, resident of Bhilai.
Reportedly, the IPl authorities have said that the changes were made due to lack of security assurances. There had been few problems in Raipur last year, when two of Delhi Daredevils’ home games were held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium. The state had requested to host two more matches this year, following an overwhelming response for both matches held last time.
However, talking to the media in Mumbai, IPl chairman Ranjib Biswal has said that Raipur was missed out since it was “not necessary to have so many venues” this season. The IPl starts on April 16 in the UAE, where 20 out of 40 matches will be played. The game will shift to India on May 2 with the final match scheduled for June 1 in Mumbai.