WPL: No spectators! BMC elections may force games behind closed doors

NAVI MUMBAI: Two matches of the ongoing fourth season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on January 14 and 15 at the DY Patil Stadium here are likely to be held behind closed doors, with Mumbai Police unable to provide adequate security due to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled for January 15.

Apparently, the Mumbai police has informed the Board that it won’t be able to depute enough personnel for the WPL fixtures, forcing the BCCI to have matches without crowds.




"The BMC election is on Jan 15, so we are thinking of whether we would be able to have crowds in the stands or not. So, we will take a final call, maybe on Jan 14 & 15-the previous day of the election and the election day, we may have crowd restrictions in place, and then on 16th we will go ahead with crowds in the stands. The final decision is yet to be taken," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told TOI on Monday. "However, the WPL matches (on 14 & 15th) will go ahead," he added.

The first leg of WPL Season 4 is being held at the DY Patil Stadium here, while the second leg and the final will be played at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. A popular venue for women’s cricket, the DY Patil Stadium attracts huge crowds for WPL matches, and if the BCCI eventually decides to host matches behind closed doors, fans will not be able to see the Delhi Capitals (DC) vs UP Warriorz (UPW) game on Jan 14, and the Mumbai Indians (MI) vs UPW fixture the next day.

While Saikia made it clear that the Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) match on Jan 16 will see crowds again, as of now, the official WPL online ticket platform, 'district By Zomato' has not listed tickets for sale for matches from Jan 14-16. However, tickets are being sold for the double-header on Jan 17, when MI will take on UPW, while DC will play RCB before the tournament moves to Vadodara.

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