IPL 2016: Barabati stadium ready to host Indian Premier League matches if needed

According to a news statement given on Friday, the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) is ready to host the Indian Premier League matches that have been shifted out of Maharashtra following a Bombay High Court verdict. However, the OCA secretary believes that the shift of venues is only possible if they get adequate support from the state government.

Asirbad Behera, the aforementioned Odisha Cricket Association secretary, told the press, "We have seven pitches at the Barabati stadium. As the U-19 matches are going on, the stadium is fully ready.”

He has also informed the press that neither BCCI has approached the Odisha Cricket Association nor have they requested the same to shift the Indian Premier League matches to the Barabati stadium in Cuttack.

“If BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) asks us to organise a match here, we are ready for that. But no directive has been issued to us regarding this so far,” he told the reporters.

Behara, further added, “The OCA can not conduct the IPL matches alone. We need full support of the state government to organise any national or international game here.”

This particular edition of the IPL has faced a number of hurdles right from day one. Last Thursday, Bombay High Court has ordered BCCI to shift all the Indian Premier League matches scheluded to take place after 30 April out of a draught-stricken Maharashtra.

A similar kind of a controversy has crept up in Karnataka as well, with chances that a number of the Indian Premier League matches could be shifted from there due to the accute shortage of water in the state.

Barabati stadium has previously hosted multiple ICC Women’s World Cup group stage matches back in 2013, including the one featuring Pakistan women’s cricket team when its matches were moved out of Mumbai due to Shiv Sena protests.

Later while highlighting their successful execution, an Odisha Cricket Association official told the press, “Though the Bajrang Dal and Kalinga Sena had issued similar threat opposing Pakistan's participation in the tournament, the matches were played without any difficulty here."

In the previous editions of Indian Premier League, the 45,000-seater has served as an alternate home venue for a number of IPL franchises, namely, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers (now defunct).