Amid soaring pollution in Delhi, BCCI still going ahead with Syed Mushtaq Ali knockouts

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Even though the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi reached a hazardous level of 473 on Saturday, the BCCI has no plans to shift the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 knockouts from the city. The knockout stages will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the Feroz Shah Kotla beginning Tuesday amid worsening pollution levels in the national capital.

After the Supreme Court suggested a lockdown to control the pollution levels in the city on Saturday, the Delhi government shut down schools for a week and said government officials will work from home. However, the SMA T20 is unlikely to be shifted to another city as things stand.

With all the 11 teams already in a bio bubble in the city from Wednesday, BCCI officials stated that shifting to another venue is ruled out as there is no window available. The Vijay Hazare Trophy which begins on December 8 will see teams enter bio bubbles at their respective host cities on November 30. With the SMA T20 final slotted for November 22, there is a week-long gap, but with bubble-to-bubble transfer not existing in domestic cricket, the BCCI feels the window is too narrow.

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The episode once again lays bare the BCCI’s lack of foresight when it comes to scheduling domestic events as pollution has been a constant issue in Delhi during the months of November-December. In 2017, the India vs Sri Lanka Test in Delhi was affected by pollution with several visiting team players complaining of breathing difficulties. In 2016, a few Ranji matches had to be postponed because of smog and pollution. To make things worse this time, four matches, including a semifinal, are scheduled to start at 8.30 am, which will hamper visibility because of the smog.

According to professor Ratnakar Shetty, who was BCCI general manager, cricket development, till 2018, the board had taken a decision not to host matches in Delhi in November-December after the issue was raised in Parliament. “Knowing it is an annual occurrence, I don’t know if it is the right thing to host the matches in Delhi. It is a serious problem for cricketers coming from a different city because they won’t be used to this pollution level. And if they play in these conditions, someone could land up with a serious problem. They can even experience breathing problems. The BCCI should take stock of this and reconsider the situation,” Shetty told The New Indian Express.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, scheduled to host the Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate group and knockout fixtures, has already informed the BCCI to keep another city as back-up as it is monsoon time in Chennai. The city has been witnessing heavy rains and the groundstaff are finding it difficult to keep the pitches match ready. The MA Chidambaram Stadium will not host any matches as it is set to undergo renovation.