CHENNAI: Days after a press conference at BCCI Centre of Excellence where secretary Devajit Saikia said the board would consider shifting the Duleep Trophy final to another stadium for the fans, it has been confirmed that the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will host the summit clash.
"The final of the Duleep Trophy will be held in Chennai, so that whoever wants to see the best players of the country in action, they can come and watch the match," Saikia told The New Indian Express on Wednesday.
Initially, the zonal red-ball event was scheduled to be played at the BCCI CoE from August 23 till September 10. Now, while the earlier rounds, including the semifinal, will be hosted by CoE, the summit clash alone has been moved to Chennai.
Last week, the BCCI top brass, including secretary Saikia, president Mithun Manhas and head of CoE VVS Laxman, were at the facility for a meeting and addressed select media about the achievements and functionalities of the CoE. During that interaction, when asked about fans not being able to watch the matches at CoE, Saikia explained that due to government rules, they cannot have stands or fans at the CoE. However, he said that the BCCI would consider moving the final.
"There are some restrictions while this land was adopted here that we cannot have crowds in this campus. So that is a government restriction. We will definitely appreciate your suggestions on whether the final can be hosted in a stadium or not. We still have time. We'll look into that aspect. If required, we'll do that," he had said at the time.
On Wednesday, Saikia confirmed the decision to shift the final while also stating that all the matches will be both telecasted and live-streamed by the official broadcaster. "We had discussed it during the press conference. There are no restrictions in Chennai, but there were some restrictions in CoE. Therefore, we have decided to shift the final alone to Chennai. All other matches will be on both television and streaming platforms. In addition, people can come and watch the final in person at the stadium in Chennai," he said on Wednesday.
