New Delhi: The decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to shift the venues of the IPL playoff and final matches from the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata to Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has come as a jolt to many people in the City of Joy, and the issue has triggered a war of words between TMC, the ruling party in West Bengal and the BJP.
Aroop Biswas, West Bengal Sports Minister and a heavyweight TMC leader has accused the state has been intentionally sidelined in the decision to shift the IPL final from Eden Gardens. On May 22, he described it as a politically motivated move while addressing a press conference. Also, he dismissed Union Minister and Bengal BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar’s claim that the match was shifted due to concerns over law and order. Biswas called it “completely false and a baseless rumour”, and the Bengal Police Commissioner Manoj Verma also echoed the same sentiment during the press conference.
Biswas said, “There is no better stadium than Eden Gardens. Even if it rains, matches can resume within half an hour, no other stadium in India offers this facility. Yet, the final has been shifted to Ahmedabad due to weather concerns. This is just an excuse. It seems pre-decided that no final will be held anywhere but Ahmedabad. In the last four years, Narendra Modi Stadium has hosted three finals.” He slammed BCCI’s justification behind the move and stated that even the weather department cannot forecast conditions for June 1 to 4 yet. During the press conference, he presented documents which indicated that specific weather forecasts for Kolkata between May 20-30 would only be available after May 14, and for June 1-4 after May 26.
He attacked Majumdar and added, “Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar on his X handle posted that the matches have been shifted due to the law and order problem. The BCCI and the IPL governing body have claimed that a new venue for the playoff match and final has been decided, considering the weather conditions. Who is telling the truth, the BJP or BCCI? It is a politically motivated decision.” Interestingly, Majumdar deleted his earlier post on X (formerly Twitter) after the press conference. In the post, he mentioned law and order issues as the reason behind the match being moved.
Biswas also trained his guns and CAB and said, “As the Sports Minister of Bengal, I protest this decision. Ask the CAB’s Secretary and President why they haven’t spoken out. The CAB should have protested.”
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma, who was addressing the press conference along with Biswas, said, “A total of nine matches were scheduled to be played in Kolkata. As Commissioner of Police, I am here to say that seven matches have been played here so far, and no incident has been reported. These matches witnessed 60,000 plus footfall.”
What are the fans saying?
Needless to say, the IPL fans in West Bengal, especially Kolkata are pretty disappointed over the BCCI decision to shift the final. It has a come as a jolt to those who were gearing up to watch the final of the most high-profile T20 league in the world at Eden Gardens.
Saika Mazumdar, an ardent supporter of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), expressed her dejection and said, “This move favouring Ahmedabad over our city is heartbreaking. Why didn’t you then shift other matches of KKR washed down to Ahmedabad?”
Another KKR fan, Kaustav Bose said, “Ecstasy turned into agony for the ardent cricket lovers in the city of joy. The defending champions gave Eden Gardens the opportunity to host the grand finale. Was the venue changed based on adverse weather conditions? If yes, why weren’t proactive measures taken earlier?” A similar sentiment was echoed by Arka Dyuti Palit from the KKR fandom, “Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh are all within enemy attack range, Bangalore saw a washed out game while Delhi too has rains predicted. So the reasons lack clarity. Plus modified rain rules in the middle of the tournament are unfair.”
Meanwhile, another KKR supporter Sayantani Adhikary pointed out the difference in heritage between Eden Gardens and Narendra Modi Stadium. She said, “It will probably take Ahmedabad a longer time to rival Eden Gardens as far as the cricketing audience and the ambience is concerned. It is quite plausible that the Ahmedabad venue is being pushed to make it more popular.”
KKR’s criticizes IPL
KKR have criticized the IPL decision to allow 120 minutes of extra time for rain-affected league matches, calling it “ad hoc” and poorly timed. According to ESPNcricinfo, they believe that if the new rule was introduced earlier, they could have stayed in the race for the playoffs. The IPL Governing Council recently updated the rules to allow an extra two hours for the final nine league games, hoping to ensure full 20-over matches despite expected monsoon rains. Earlier, league games had only one hour of extra time playoff matches had two hours in the bank.
KKR CEO Venky Mysore reportedly sent an email to the IPL Governing Council in which he wrote, “While these mid-season changes to the rules may be necessary under the circumstances, one would have expected more consistency in the way such changes are being applied.” He pointed out the rain forecast ahead of the KKR vs RCB match on May 17, with the match being eventually washed out. He added in the email, “Such ad hoc decisions and inconsistencies of applying them are not appropriate for a tournament of this standing. I am sure you also understand why we feel aggrieved.”
