Follow UsThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has shifted the knockout phase of its annual men’s Under-23 one-day tournament from Delhi to Mumbai, citing severe air-pollution levels in the national capital. The matches, originally scheduled in Delhi from November 25 to December 1, will now take place under the authority of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in Mumbai.
“We got a call from the BCCI today, informing us that the MCA has been allotted the under-23 one-day knockouts due to high air pollution in the capital. Cricket can’t be played in those conditions,” a source in the Mumbai Cricket Association said, as quoted by The Indian Express.
The decision came as Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) touched the “severe” category, hitting a level of 400 on Thursday, according to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board. Forecast models from the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ Air Quality Early Warning System indicate that the air in Delhi is likely to remain between “very poor” and “severe” for the next six days.
The last league game of the Under-23 tournament will be played in Vadodara on Friday, with eight teams set to participate in the knockout phase. The full schedule is expected to be released shortly.
This is not the first time a major cricket fixture has been moved from Delhi because of air-quality concerns. Earlier this month, the first Test against South Africa, originally planned for Delhi, was relocated to Kolkata after criticism over staging a game during the peak pollution period.
During a previous Test in Delhi in December 2017 between India and Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan players reportedly struggled with respiratory distress, with one pacer, Lahiru Gamage, unable to complete an over and another, Suranga Lakmal, falling ill on the field. Oxygen cylinders were even rushed into the dressing room.