India v/s South Africa: Kanpur stadium yet to be booked for first ODI

The Green Park Stadium in Kanpur is set to host an international match after two years

The first One Day International (ODI) between India and South Africa is set to take place on October 11 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, but unfortunately, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is yet to officially book it.

Booking the stadium involves depositing a fee of Rs. 15 Lakh before the match - a compulsory pre-requisite mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), that the UPCA had signed with the state government. The regional Sports Officer, Usha Lal has sent a letter to the UPCA, asking it to complete the formalities.

"They (UPCA) have not even submitted a written application for booking the ground. We have requested them to complete the formalities," an official said to IBNLive.

UPCA is supposed to deposit Rs. 1 crore annually against the lease and the booking fee at the time of the match, as per the rules of the MoU. But UPCA, according to officials, has deposited neither the lease money nor the booking fee.

It has been alleged that the UPCA has been avoiding fee payment ever since the MoU was signed in June, 2015.

It was clearly stated that the money had to be submitted to the state’s revenue department account and yet, UPCA had written a letter to the state government in September asking for the account details for money transfer. As per the agreement, 2800 out of 5000 seats in the stadium had to be kept reserved for sports department of the state and passes would be issued accordingly.

"We have not even received the passes for the 2800 seats," the official said. Under these circumstances, the state government has the right to lock the stadium on grounds of flouting MoU terms and conditions by the UPCA.

Both teams are due to arrive in Kanpur on Friday evening. They are scheduled to play the first ODI at the renovated Green Park stadium, which is holding an international match, after a gap of two years.

As per the programme, the match will be inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik while Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will distribute awards at the post-match presentation ceremony.