IPL 2016: Rajkot matches could be in trouble as SCA served notice for land intrusion

According to reports, the Gujarat Revenue Department has issued a notice to the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) for allegedly intruding on government land adjoining its stadium on the outskirts of Rajkot. The SCA Stadium in Rajkot is the home venue of IPL team Gujarat Lions.

A Mamlatdar or revenue officer of Padadhari taluka issued the notice to the SCA and asked it to reply within seven days or face legal notice alongside a penalty. Mamlatdar B K Patel said, "It has come to our notice that 2.5 hectares of land have been allegedly encroached by the SCA. You are asked to reply within seven days. If you fail to do so, legal action would be taken against the association."

Before issuing the notice, a team from the department was sent to ascertain whether the SCA had encroached on the government land near the stadium. However, no official comments came out from the SCA.

The SCA Stadium hosted its first international match in 2013 when India played against England in an ODI. The venue has been instrumental in the Gujarat Lions’ success so far as they are at the top of the points table after six matches in IPL.

The next match to be played at the venue is between Gujarat Lions and Kings XI Punjab on 1 May. The stadium is also known as Khandheri Cricket Stadium and currently holds a nickname of the “Lion’s Den” because of its association with the IPL team.

The ground can hold around 28,000 fans and has been jam packed every time the Rajkot-based franchise have played their home matches. The crowd support Gujarat gets from this stadium is simply stunning and it would be tough for the side to find this kind of atmosphere somewhere else if Rajkot can’t continue to host IPL matches.

The Suresh Raina-led side has been the most impressive team so far in this year’s IPL with five wins from six matches. The Lions won a hard-fought encounter against the Delhi Daredevils last night by just 1 run.

Earlier, the Mumbai Indians and the Rising Pune Supergiants had to shift their home games out because of the drought situation in Maharashtra. It still remains a matter whether the SCA can host their scheduled IPL matches or not.