The International Cricket Council (ICC) could take a decision either on Sunday — or latest by Monday — whether or not to relocate two World Twenty20 semi-finals from Delhi. The DDCA is to host the men's and women's semi-final matches on March 30 at the Ferozeshah Kotla.
A huge uncertainty has arisen over the fate of these matches as around 2,000 prime seats in the RP Mehra Block, which includes VIPs Enclosures for the ICC and the BCCI, but it is unavailable due non-clearance by local government agencies and litigation.
The ICC needs around 900 seats for its guests/dignitaries/sponsors and they are of utmost importance for the world body while the BCCI requires seats for around 200 guests, which could include Indian politicians, too. The RP Mehra Block, which gives the best view of the action, is the only place at the Kotla that could provide so many VIP seats at one place as it is in line with the stumps.
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However, at the moment it looks increasingly impossible that the RP Mehra Block, which was built "without sanctioned plans", would be re-opened as a related case is pending before the Delhi High Court. The next hearing in that case is on April 1, significantly after the semi-finals.
A nervous DDCA on Friday filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court as a last resort to get the RP Mehra Block opened. The Supreme Court may hear the case on March 28, crucially just two days before the semi-finals. The ICC will surely not wait that late for a Supreme Court order, and there's no guarantee that it would be a favourable one. This is evident from the fact the ICC has stopped the sale of tickets for the two semi-finals, but will have to open it soon considering the interest of fans, including foreigners.
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It is learnt that the ICC has asked retired judge Mukul Mudgal, appointed by the Delhi High Court to supervise the World Twenty20 matches at the Kotla, to quickly get back with an alternate plan to relocate the VIPs seats for the ICC and the BCCI.
Multiple sources told Outlook that even as the India-Pakistan women's game was on at the Kotla on Saturday, the ICC and the BCCI were working on multiple alternate plans to resolve the tricky issue.
"ICC requires around 1,000 seats for its guests and at the same place while the BCCI needs around 200 for its guests. Also, the ICC wants an exclusive place where all of its 1,000 guests can drink and dine together. If the ICC sticks to this demand, there is no other place at the Kotla to accommodate so many VIPs who watch matches, drink and dine at the same place," a source told Outlook.
"The ICC has asked Mudgal to quickly confirm if the 'second best' seats, along with dining facilities, could be made available for the ICC and BCCI guests at one place at the Kotla," he said. "A decision is set to be taken on the venue either on Sunday or latest by Monday."
It seems the ICC will confront another problem when it comes to choosing the alternate venue, if required.
"Finding an alternate venue might be no less problematic for the ICC, assuming Delhi is ruled out and taking into account a scenario where Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals. In that case, the ICC will have to look beyond Maharashtra, which has two (Mumbai and Nagpur) of the eight venues, at which World T20 is being played due to the Right Wing's opposition to Pakistan. Dharamsala, too, is ruled out, due to the Pakistan factor, though BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur might want the semi-finals to be relocated to Dharamsala, after the India-Pakistan game was shifted to Calcutta," he explained.
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"That leaves only Bangalore, Mohali and Calcutta. Since Calcutta is to host the final, it's unlikely that it would be given the chance to host the semi-finals as well. So, effectively, the ICC might end up choosing between Bangalore and Mohali."
The controversial RP Mehra Block, named after the late BCCI and DDCA president, can't be used as the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, the Archaeological Survey of India, and the Delhi Urban Arts Commission have declined to grant No Objection Certificates to this portion of the stadium, despite DDCA administrators using pressure tactics through some top politicians.
Then, Mudgal, in an effort to save the DDCA from the ignominy of being wiped completely out as a World T20 venue, suggested to the Delhi High Court that the RP Mehra Block could be made out of bounds for commercial purpose, except for the media, and the court accepted this suggestion.
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That gave birth to the problems for the ICC and the BCCI, if not so much for the DDCA, which is set to make a cool Rs 8.32 crore from the 10 matches it is scheduled to host.
