IPL 2016: Kanpur confirmed as hosts for two Gujarat Lions home matches

IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla confirmed on Sunday that Kanpur will play host to two Gujarat Lions home matches as per the original schedule. There were concerns about the floodlight facilities at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur but Shukla said the issue had been sorted out.

The Green Park Stadium will now host Lions’ last two home matches of the IPL 2016 on May 19 and 21. Although the stadium hasn’t hosted a single IPL or international day-night fixture so far, Shukla confirmed to TOI that the BCCI chief cameraman SK Srikant’s report helped them reach the decision.

The venue will host two matches against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 19 and Mumbai Indians on May 21. Suresh Raina’s side are currently at the table with six wins from their eight matches so far, despite their loss to Kings XI on Sunday.

Despite the issue with the floodlights the IPL chairman confirmed that both games will be played at 8 pm as per the schedule.

“The problem has been sorted,” Shukla told ESPN Cricinfo. "There were a few areas in the floodlights when the lux level was not adequate. We have now increased the number of bulbs and the brightness has been enhanced. [Srikant] gave the approval.”

On being questioned about the reason for delay in announcement of the decision, he added that Kanpur was already in the schedule and the condition of the floodlights was pending review and Srikant’s report helped them reach their verdict. "And finally, Srikant gave the thumbs up nod on Thursday," he added.

One of the interesting aspects of the Green Park Stadium is the fact that despite having floodlights since 2000, the stadium has failed to host a single international day-night match so far. That put further doubt on whether the ground could host an IPL match as both home matches the Lions were scheduled to play was at 8 pm.

The BCCI chief cameraman’s report ensured it is good news for cricket lovers in Kanpur as the city will now get to host two IPL matches this season.

"Successful hosting of the proposed matches will open the chance for organizing other day-night international matches in the future," Shukla said. He also added that the report was discussed during the IPL governing body’s meeting in New Delhi. “The chief cameraman, in his report, stated that light was sufficient and matches could be played.”