HCA voices concern over Hyderabad hosting back-to-back World Cup games; BCCI's Rajiv Shukla says change 'unlikely'

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has formally reached out to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with a plea to reconsider the allocation of back-to-back ODI World Cup matches to the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The matches in question are set to take place on 9 and 10 October.

The HCA, which is currently under the administration of Retd Justice L Nageswara Rao, appointed by the Supreme Court, has expressed concerns about the feasibility of ensuring adequate security measures for two matches in such a short timeframe.

An HCA official, speaking on behalf of the administrator, reportedly told Cricbuzz, “It is indeed a concern, and we have brought it to the attention of the BCCI. We have asked the board if the dates can be adjusted.”

The official further said that the security arrangements for two day-night matches scheduled on consecutive days could potentially be challenging.

In the revised World Cup schedule, the Uppal Stadium is assigned the hosting duties for the match between New Zealand and Netherlands on 9 October, followed by Pakistan vs Sri Lanka on 10 October.

The HCA official emphasised the need for a one-day break between the matches, stating, “At least a one-day break between the games would be helpful. We have discussed with (acting) BCCI CEO Hemang Amin to see if the schedule can be tweaked. If not, we will have no other option but to manage.”

Meanwhile, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla was clear that any further tweak in schedule is “unlikely”. In an official statement, Shukla insisted that no further changes are likely as it requires involvement of multiple stakeholders.

“I am in charge of Hyderabad venue for WC. If there will be any issue or anything, will try to get it resolved. It is not easy to change the World Cup schedule and it’s unlikely to happen. Only BCCI can’t change schedule, teams, ICC, all involved,” said Shukla, who is also a Congress Rajya Sabha member.

The unveiling of the initial World Cup schedule was met with controversy and revisions due to requests from various international cricket boards. The final schedule was released on 9 August, just 100 days before the tournament’s commencement. The revised schedule altered the arrangement of nine games, which originally had matches scheduled with a two-day gap between them.

While the tickets for the World Cup are yet to go on sale, the situation has drawn attention to the logistical complexities of hosting back-to-back matches of such magnitude. Typically, World Cup matches are not hosted on consecutive days at the same venue, making the HCA’s request a noteworthy point of discussion.

The World Cup is set to be held across twelve cities in India, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad serving as the location for both the tournament’s opener, on 5 October, and the final, on 19 November.

With inputs from PTI