Empty Stadium Likely In Delhi During T20 World Cup? Massive 'Board Exams' Concern Revealed
With the CBSE (10th and 12th standard) exams starting next week and also schools conducting their annual exams during this time of the year, most of the schools have declined offers of bringing their students to watch non-India games.
The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) officials have double trouble for the next nine days as it hosts five matches of the ICC T20 World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium starting with the game between the Netherlands and Namibia on Tuesday. The first one is all too familiar -- a T20I game involving India (vs Namibia) on February 12 for which all tickets are expectedly sold and the demand for complimentary passes exceeding expectations.
The second is an interesting one where DDCA were told to contact the schools for the non-India matches where children can watch the proceedings for free if they are in uniform and are accompanied by the teachers.
However, with the CBSE (10th and 12th standard) exams starting next week and also schools conducting their annual exams during this time of the year, most of the schools have declined offers of bringing their students to watch non-India games.
"We contacted a lot of schools but with CBSE as well as annual exams overlapping with the tournament, institutions are not ready to send their students to watch non-India games. Actually, there is no demand for tickets except the India game. Unlike Wankhede Stadium where Nepalese fans made up for 17,000 spectators, Kotla will be less than half-full save India game," a senior DDCA official, who has been overseeing the arrangement, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
He also explained why children and even college goers will give the non-India matches a miss even if they distribute tickets for free.
"Empty stadium doesn't make for a good TV viewing with vast expanses of the galleries being an eyesore. Therefore bringing in school children is a good idea. But we have matches on Tuesday (Feb 10), Thursday (India, Feb 12), Friday (Feb 13, UAE vs Canada), Monday (Feb 16, Afghanistan vs UAE), Wednesday (Feb 18, SA vs UAE).
"If you look, factor out India game, all matches are on a week day. Also the timing for non-India games are 11 am (3 games) and 3 pm (1 game). How do you expect young people to come? People don't even want premium tickets for non-India games," he jokingly added.Â
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Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi