Indore ODI likely to be shifted owing to BCCI-MPCA clash for free passes

An ongoing tussle between the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for complimentary passes might see the second ODI between India and the West Indies shifted out of Indore.

The new constitution of the BCCI states that out of the total capacity of the stadium, 90 per cent tickets should be made available for the public to buy. While the remaining 10 per cent of the tickets — which are complimentary — should be there with the state bodies.

If the above laws are applied in this case, it turns out that the Holkar Stadium in Indore, which has the capacity to fit in 27,000 people, would have 2700 tickets as complimentary passes. The board also asks for the free passes for its sponsors.

“The managing committee of MPCA has decided that it is not possible to organise the second ODI between India and West Indies in Indore if BCCI doesn’t back down from its demand of complimentary tickets. We have intimated BCCI,” Milind Kanmadikar, the joint secretary of the MPCA said on Sunday, as quoted by PTI.

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“We cannot accept BCCI’s demand for hospitality tickets. We have only 7,000 seats in the pavilion (hospitality) gallery and going by 10 per cent, we would be left with only 700 seats. Now if we give five percent of that, we are left with only 350 hospitality tickets.

“Even we have to cater demands of our members, various government agencies. We also have only 10 percent complimentaries in our state unit’s constitution, but from that, we can give the amount (five percent from each gallery) BCCI wants,” he added further.

The BCCI, in turn, has hit back, labelling these actions from Kanmadikar and the MPCA as being a pure “blackmailing tactic.”

“We don’t want to shift the match from Indore but if they create issues we have to prepare an alternate venue. This is pure blackmailing tactic from Kanmadikar,” a senior BCCI official said.

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He also added that this issue isn’t something to do with tickets but was regarding something else.

“During India’s tour of West Indies in 2017, Milind Kanmadikar was supposed to be the administrative manager but CoA chief Vinod Rai scuttled it as he felt that it was a glorified junket for state unit officials. Kanmadikar has not forgotten that slight and this is his way of getting back,” he added.

Image credit- BCCI