DDCA requests BCCI move India-Sri Lanka ODI out of Delhi
The Delhi and District Cricket Association has asked the BCCI to shift the December 13 India-Sri Lanka ODI from the Arun Jaitley Stadium, citing pollution and renovation work.
The first ODI between India and Sri Lanka is likely to be moved out of the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi after the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) requested the BCCI to shift the December 13 game.
According to sources, the DDCA wrote to the BCCI citing its inability to host the match, with pollution levels in Delhi at this time of year and ongoing renovation work at the stadium among the reasons. The association is believed to be concerned about poor air quality in the capital, which recorded an average AQI of 351 last December, with similar levels on Monday, November 2. During a Test between India and Sri Lanka in December 2017, some Sri Lankan players were seen throwing up on the ground, and DDCA sources said they do not want a repeat.
The DDCA is believed to have asked for another game sometime next year. The match was supposed to be the first of three ODIs, with the other two scheduled for Bengaluru on December 16 and Ahmedabad on December 19. The BCCI will now have to rejig the series schedule.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had said on October 12 that reports suggesting the match may be shifted to Ahmedabad were not accurate, and that there had been no such decision by the board.