Administrative issues at the DDCA could deprive the Delhi public of World T20 and IPL games this year © BCCI
Delhi is on the verge of losing its allotted World T20 matches because the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has been unable to resolve its longstanding issue of getting clearances from civic bodies so that the Feroz Shah Kotla can host games.
A final decision will be taken later this week after the ICC board is updated by the BCCI president Shashank Manohar, who is also the ICC chairman. Delhi was allotted four matches, including the first semi-final, by the ICC.
The DDCA was issued a deadline last weekend to get the necessary no-objection certificates by January 31, failing which the BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said the games would be redistributed among the other seven venues: Bangalore, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mumbai, Mohali and Nagpur.
BCCI officials confirmed the DDCA had missed the deadline, and though it was hopeful of getting a ten-day extension, the BCCI officials are understood to have lost patience. “The BCCI is also losing credibility that why it has not acted against Delhi and why it is not taking decisions that need to be taken,” a senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. “Internally, they have reconciled that Delhi will not host any matches.”
The official said that even if the BCCI granted the extension, the board was wary about DDCA getting the approvals. “They have not got it for months. They have to make changes in the ground. That is not possible.”
Delhi could also be in danger of losing out hosting IPL matches for Delhi Daredevils in the upcoming season. The official said that if DDCA had struggled to get clearance for a world event despite numerous reminders and deadline, “what were the chances of getting the same for the IPL?”
The Daredevils franchise had also raised similar concerns at the IPL Governing Council meeting last month. “Delhi is the home of Delhi Daredevils and as such remains our first choice. However, considering the ongoing flux at the DDCA we have requested the BCCI to intervene and help us get clarity for us to plan ahead of the upcoming season,” a Daredevils spokesperson told The Indian Express. “We believe the DDCA will be able to resolve all pending issues pertaining to Kotla soon. We will only seek alternative venues as a last resource.”
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo