Day-Night Games Will Become a Reality in Kanpur, Says Rajeev Shukla
The construction of the VIP box has deprived Kanpur of a day-night ODI but Rajeev Shukla has said the problem will be sorted out after the end of the first ODI.
The construction goof-up that has deprived cricket lovers of day-night matches in Kanpur will be fixed soon after the opening ODI between India and South Africa at the Green Park stadium on Sunday, assured UPCA secretary and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla. (No Water Bottles To Be Allowed in Stadium During Kanpur ODI)
Green Park has been unable to host day-nighters despite having a floodlight facility since 2006. Of late, the biggest hurdle for the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has been the new VVIP box as its faulty construction ended up blocking one of the floodlight towers.
Shukla said the glitch will be fixed soon after the opening ODI, which happens to be the only day game in the five-match series.
"The issue is the way the VVIP pavilion is constructed. It cuts the lights from the playing arena. We will sort out that issue after the match (opening ODI) is held. The position of the lights will be shifted and the future games will be day-night affairs," Shukla told PTI.
Green Park, which is owned by the state government and maintained by the UPCA, is the lone stadium of international standard in Uttar Pradesh.
Shukla said now that they have got the ground on lease from the state government for 30 years, the facilities will be upgraded gradually. Interestingly, the UPCA is the only state association that doesn't have its own stadium.
"Earlier there was no MoU with the state government. Now that it is done, we will put everything in place. They are supposed to take care of the construction, our responsibility is maintenance. Dealing with the government has been smooth so far," said Shukla, who has earlier spoken about UPCA coming up with its own stadium in Ghaziabad.
Talking about Sunday's game, he said: "We are ready for the match. This time we have a new dressing room which is bigger and of international standard. We have also introduced online ticket sales. We all hope it is a good match and players of both teams enjoy their stay here".
The city last hosted an international match in November, 2013 when India beat the West Indies.