Maharashtra Likely To Allow 25 Percent Capacity Crowd For IPL 2022 - Report
Maharashtra Likely To Allow 25 Percent Capacity Crowd For IPL 2022 - Report

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and Maharashtra Cricket Association (MHCA), will be hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 in Mumbai and Pune with the four venues in two cities hosting the 70 league matches of the IPL 2022. And it is expected that 25 percent of the crowd will be allowed in the stadiums to cheer for their favorite teams.

On Sunday (February 27), the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association in Dharamsala accommodated over 10,000 spectators for the third and final T20I between India and Sri Lanka and the BCCI is hoping to continue with the trend. This was after the India-West Indies white-ball series and the first T20I between India and Sri Lanka was played behind closed doors.

The upcoming two-Test series between India and Sri Lanka will be a mixed bag in terms of crowd presence, as the first Test in Mohali- which is Virat Kohli’s 100th Test for India- will be played behind closed doors. However, the second Test in Bangalore will have spectators at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has confirmed that 50 percent crowds – about 15,000 — will be allowed for the March 13-17 Test against Sri Lanka.

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Wankhede Stadium, IPL, IPL 2021
Wankhede Stadium (Photo Source: Twitter)

Low COVID Numbers Encourages Maharashtra Government To Allow 25 Percent Crowd In For IPL 2022

Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray met MCA officials on Sunday (February 27) and promised all help for the IPL and agreed to allow 25 percent of crowds. The government is also encouraged by the latest Covid numbers – only two deaths reported in Mumbai in the last 24 hours and less than 1000 new cases, lowest since 2020. Mumbai will be hosting 55 games while Pune will have 15 games, Cricbuzz reported.

Aaditya Thackeray Visits Wankhede Stadium. Photo- Twitter
Aaditya Thackeray Visits Wankhede Stadium. Photo- Twitter

Arun Singh Dhumal, the treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told Cricbuzz about Indian cricket coming a full circle as it 2 years ago when an ODI, against South Africa, had to be postponed, albeit because of rain, with the specter of Covid 19 looking large on the three-match series. The next two matches were canceled as Proteas flew back home refusing to play the matches with rising cases of COVId-19 in India.

“Yes, we have come a full circle. It has set a new template for Indian cricket. There is no looking back. It was in Dharamsala where the Covid threat to Indian cricket started in 2020. It halted the game there. Subsequently the matches in Lucknow and Kolkata also got called off due to the Coronavirus threat. We are glad that cricket with crowds got revived from Dharamsala itself. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the crowds for both the games. I hope there is no stopping Indian cricket from here,” the BCCI treasurer said.

India had to move the Indian Premier League (IPL) — full or a part of it – to UAE and also shift the Twenty20 World Cup to Oman and UAE due to the second wave of Coronavirus.

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