The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has switched the opening match of India versus West Indies T20I series to Hyderabad, which will now take place on December 6. Meanwhile, Mumbai will host the third and final T20I on December 11 at the Wankhede Stadium.
The sudden changes have been made because Mumbai Police have depicted their inability to provide sufficient security on December 6, which is the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition as well as Ambedkar Jayanti.
Accordingly, the BCCI requested Mohammad Azharuddin, the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, who readily agreed to the swap.
“The BCCI has agreed to swap the dates of the Mumbai [December 6] and Hyderabad [December 11] games. We were able to carry out the swap after HCA president Mohammed Azharuddin agreed,” a senior MCA official was quoted as saying by PTI.
The last time a T20I took place in the Wankhede Stadium was between India and Sri Lanka on December 24, 2017. The fourth ODI between India and West Indies last year was also moved from the Wankhede to Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium due to administrative issues at MCA.
