No Cricket Match in Mohali Stadium: Volley of Bouncers Against AAP Govt in Punjab Over World Cup Fixtures – News18

Given the volatile relationship between the AAP government and opposition parties in Punjab, even the most non-political issue tend to trigger a bitter war of words. The picking of venues by the International Cricket Council for the 2023 Men’s World Cup is the latest playground for political parties to slug it out.

The AAP is seeing it as a “politics-triggered conspiracy” while the opposition is putting the blame on the Bhagwant Mann-led government. Lost in the din is the ICC’s clarification that it is not about politics but cricket. It all started when the state sports minister condemned the exclusion of Mohali from the list of host cities in the tournament schedule for India in October and November.

Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer described the decision as “politically motivated”. He alleged that this was open discrimination against Punjab and said it was the first time after the construction of the PCA Stadium in Mohali that a world cup match would not be held there. In 1996 and 2011, he said, the semi-finals were played at Mohali but this time not even a single league match had been allotted to Punjab.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) jumped into the row as vice-president Rajiv Shukla claimed that the Mohali stadium did not meet ICC standards. The senior Congress leader said the governing body’s consent was crucial for choosing the venue.

“Virat Kohli’s 100th test was given to Mohali. Mullanpur stadium is getting ready in Mohali. Had it been ready, they would have got a world cup match. The current stadium in Mohali did not meet the standards of ICC and, hence, was denied matches. Bilateral series games will be given to them,” Shukla said.

Leader of opposition in the Punjab legislative assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa flayed the state government and the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA). He said the construction work on the new stadium should have been expedited, knowing that the World Cup was round the corner.

Bajwa further alleged that the AAP government had “failed” to improve the law and order situation in the state, which was another reason for the stadium’s exclusion. “The organised crime in the state has been on the rise ever since the AAP has come to power,” he said.

“The AAP must explain if it is due to security reasons that the only international cricket stadium in the state has been excluded from the list of venues for hosting cricket world cup matches,” he added. The Qadian MLA also said the exclusion of the cricket stadium from the venue list will hurt the state’s tourism industry and economy.