Ranji Trophy: Pollution disrupts play, players forced to wear masks in Mumbai vs Delhi match

MUMBAI: In recent years, the Mumbai Cricket Association's ground at Bandra-Kurla Complex has been the preferred venue for Mumbai’s home Ranji Trophy matches. On Thursday, however, pollution and dust from a construction site near the ground disrupted play and raised concerns among players.

During the final session of the day one play, Mumbai players Sarfaraz Khan, his younger brother Musheer Khan, and off-spinning all-rounder Himanshu Singh were forced to wear masks for around 30 minutes while fielding due to dust and pollution from the nearby construction activity. Members of the support staff sitting outside the dressing room were also seen wearing masks.




"Mumbai’s team management has written to the Mumbai Cricket Association about the problem of pollution due to the under-construction building here, which has led to a lot of dust and pollution on the ground. We’ve requested the MCA to take it up with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). Players and members of support staff sitting just outside the dressing room too were forced to wear masks. In fact, a few players of the Delhi team also requested us to give a few masks to them. Running on the ground can be difficult in such conditions," a source in the Mumbai team told TOI.

The Air Quality Index at BKC was 156 on Thursday evening, which was listed as ‘unhealthy’.

"The construction work was going on (nearby), because of which people were feeling the pollution. That's why we were wearing masks," Mumbai seamer Mohit Avasthi told reporters later. Avasthi finished the day with figures of five for 62 in 16.4 overs.

In conditions affected by smog, Delhi were bowled out for 221, with opener Sanat Sangwan scoring his third century of the season. Sangwan made 118 off 218 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes. Mumbai were 13 for one at stumps, with play ending five to seven minutes before the scheduled close due to poor light.

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