Power and politics are inseparable. And if you throw the richest sport in the country in the pool, imagine the repercussions. Over the years, administrators have played their influential cards ahead of ICC events to get marquee clashes in their den. Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) is the clear winner in 2023.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host five games during the ODI World Cup 2023, including the opening match, the big-ticket clash between India and Pakistan, England versus Australia, and the final.
The subtle shift from the usual Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), Eden Gardens (Kolkata), M Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru) and MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chennai), which are the usual favourites to host the crucial encounters, reflects the change of power equations within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Ahmedabad's omnipresence on the Indian cricket map started growing after former GCA joint secretary Jay Shah joined the BCCI as a secretary in 2019.
The largest cricket stadium in the world, with a capacity of 1,10,000, has been the talk of the town ever since its opening at the stroke of the pandemic in 2020. It has been hosting regular international white-ball and red-ball games, the Indian Premier League (IPL), including finals, and the home team, Gujarat Titans, has been one of the strongest teams in the tournament for the past two years.
In four years since his induction in the BCCI, Shah has grown in stature as the president of the Asian Cricket Council and as head of the financial and commercial affairs committee in the ICC, which perhaps helped bring the big games to Ahmedabad.
The makeover of the stadium cost Rs 800 crore. It is spread across 63 acres and offers advantages for both players and spectators. It has 76 air-conditioned corporate boxes, LED lights, a parking space which can accommodate around 3,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers, plus two separate practice grounds with nine pitches.
Not a new story
Cricket may have evolved with time, but the tactics and strategies of the officials running the sport more or less remain similar. The late Jagmohan Dalmiya, one of the most respected cricket administrators, had to pull a few strings to get the 1987 World Cup final and the 1996 semifinal to Eden Gardens. Kolkata was one of the preferred venues during those days.
Sharad Pawar, who served as BCCI chairman from 2005 to 2008, brought the Champions Trophy 2006 final to Brabourne Stadium. He played a major role in Wankhede Stadium getting the World Cup 2011 final, as he was the then president of the ICC.
No Mohali for the first time
For the first time in the history of World Cups in the subcontinent, the Punjab Cricket Association will miss out on hosting a game. 2
The PCA Stadium in Mohali hosted two semifinals in 1996 (Australia versus West Indies) and 2011 (India versus Pakistan). The Indo-Pak match was attended by the Prime Ministers of both countries, a rare occasion. Before the construction of the Mohali stadium, the Sector 16 ground in Chandigarh hosted New Zealand versus Australia during the 1987 World Cup.
Test centres such as Nagpur (Vidarbha Cricket Association), Indore (Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association), Ranchi (Jharkhand Cricket Association)and Rajkot (Saurashtra Cricket Association) have also missed out on a berth, though not as surprising as the exclusion of Mohali.
"This is decided by the office-bearers, events people and the ICC. We knew that Rajkot was going to be considered as a World Cup venue but somehow it didn't happen, the reason for which we also don't know. There could be a limitation on the number of venues, but I am not sure," SCA president Jaydev Shah told Moneycontrol.com.
Dharamsala, which has seen four ODIs thus far, the last being six years ago, has entered the World Cup pool with five games, including India versus New Zealand and Australia versus New Zealand. The Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, with only four ODIs under its belt, will host five games, including India versus England.
Mohali started going down in the pecking order after the retirement of I.S. Bindra, one of Dalmiya's contemporaries, in cricket administration.
The growth of Arun Dhumal — former BCCI treasurer and now IPL chairman with a stronghold in cricket affairs in Himachal Pradesh — may have worked for Dharamsala. On the other hand, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla is from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association.
Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram will host the warm-up matches leading to the opener on October 5, between the finalists of 2019 - England and New Zealand.
Ahmedabad awaits a grand spectacle which can lift the stadium to a higher pedestal in the future.
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