The 2016 ICC World T20 in India is just a few months away, with the mega event set to start from 11 March in eight different venues across India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had already announced shortlisted venues for the World Cup in July, 2015, with the final to be staged at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Amongst other grounds, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is facing some problems as construction is going on and some stands are yet to be completed. The I, J and K stands have not been used in any matches for the last three years.
With an event of such magnitude, BCCI will want all the stands to be completed on time so that everyone interested can watch the match in Chennai.
"We held a detailed discussion today. There were certain centres which were given deadlines of August 25 to submit completion reports and we are still waiting for their certificates. Yes, in Chennai there was some problem. We had been keeping it pending," PTI quoted BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur as saying.
The BCCI, who are aware of the situation in Chennai, have not ruled out the MA Chidambaram Stadium as one of the eight venues for the world cup.
"We have not ruled out Chennai [as a venue]. The only issue is which matches can be played in Chennai. There are certain limitations - can't play Sri Lanka there, three stands are not complete and you can't keep Indian fans away from those stands," said Anurag Thakur.
The concerned authorities of MA Chidambaram Stadium should put their best foot forward and make sure that their fans do not have to suffer, as the BCCI could change the venues, if the stadium is not ready as per the wishes of the board.
If the BCCI wants to change the venues -- they are not keen as of now -- there are a number of other stadiums which will be keen to host the world cup.
The BCCI had a meeting in Mumbai to talk about the venues for each fixtures and, most importantly, to make the 2016 ICC World T20 in India an event to remember.
"There are many things to be considered before allocating matches to any venue. We all know what the limitations are, which teams can't play in which centres. That's why the meeting was held to find out which the right venues are and how we can organise a successful World Cup in 2016 in India," the BCCI secretary said.
