Kanpur to wait till next year for IPL matches

KANPUR: It’s official now. There will be no Indian Premier League match at Lucknow’s international cricket stadium this year. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla announced on Sunday that this year, too, IPL matches would be held at Kanpur’s Green Park stadium where Gujarat Lions’ wold play Delhi Daredevils on May 10 and Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 13.
Shukla, who is also the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association secretary, however, said the Lucknowites should not feel disappointed as the IPL extravaganza will surely reach the capital city next year.While Green Park hosted two of Gujarat Lions’ home matches last year, this year the franchisee reportedly wanted the matches to be shifted to Lucknow.
With the international stadium near Shaeed Path nearing completion, it was expected that the city could get its first IPL match. However, the stadium reportedly was not expcted to be ready in time for the ties, hence it was decided to keep them in Kanpur. Shukla was in Kanpur on a personal visit and he reached Green Park along with Akash Pratap Singh, the operation manager of the Gujarat Lions’ team.
Talking to media persons, Shukla said that since UP is a large state it must have at least three international cricket stadiums where matches should be organized regularly. “Stadiums in Lucknow and Ghaziabad would soon be allotted matches. I am sure the stadiums at both these venues will be match-ready before the next edition of IPL. Meanwhile, Green Park should continue to host international and IPL matches. Lots of cricket is being played all through the year and the number of matches are getting increased. So every stadium would get its share,” Shukla said.
Meanwhile, Akash Pratap Singh sought information from the UPCA officials about the seating capacity of each stand. The franchisee has to decide about the number of tickets to be floated for sale. Singh stated that there would be no price hike of tickets at Green Park and the rates would remain the same as they were last year. Online ticket sale might start from April 20, he added.