BCCI Puts Halt On Uniform Wickets Attempt; Bans Jaipur Stadium From Hosting Matches

The Board of Control for Cricket in India "gave clear instructions to the curators" of all Indian Premier League venues "not to bow down to the pressure from the franchises regarding the preparation of tailor-made wickets" for home matches, according to the PTI. A member of a state unit said, "Clear instructions have been handed out to the curators that they should prepare sporting wickets and should not listen to any requests from the franchises. The franchise owners have also been apprised that they should not put any type of pressure on the curators to prepare wickets of their choice." The BCCI also decided that Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium will not hold any matches of the IPL's sixth edition "due to the long-standing impasse between the state's sports council, custodians of the stadium, and the Rajasthan Cricket Association." The Mumbai Cricket Association also asked the BCCI "to form a uniform guideline regarding who all can sit in the dug out or enter the playing arena of the stadium apart from the players during IPL games." The request comes in the wake "of the controversy that erupted during the last edition of IPL" when Kolkata Knight Riders Principal Owner Shah Rukh Khan entered the Wankhede Stadium turf "allegedly in an inebriated state." He had "massive altercations with MCA officials and one of the security guard, who supposedly misbehaved with the children accompanying the Bollywood superstar" (PTI, 2/5).

STATE SUPPORT: In Mumbai, Saibal Bose noted Rajasthan government's Chief Secretary C.K. Mathew has written to BCCI President N. Srinivasan "reiterating that the state will provide all necessary facilities and support to hold cricket matches" at the SMS in Jaipur, as well as in other cities. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot "too has spoken to Srinivasan, assuring him that the Rajasthan government was keen to host" the Rajasthan Royals' home matches at the SMS (TIMES OF INDIA, 2/5).