International cricket will return to Kolkata when Eden Gardens hosts the third and final T20I between India and New Zealand on November 21.
Eden Gardens will host another match during the upcoming home season, the third and final ODI against West Indies on February 12, 2022.
The last international game played at the Eden Garden was a Day-Night Test between India and Bangladesh in November 2019.
On Friday, the state government’s directive that allowed stadiums to operate with 70 per cent capacity has come as a boost for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
The directive means that Eden Gardens could have an attendance of 40,000 plus for next month’s T20I with around 9,000 to 10,000 tickets likely to be available for the fans.
“Now that the nod from the state government has been received, we are also hopeful that the BCCI too would accord its consent (for the 70 per cent capacity),” CAB President Avishek Dalmiya was quoted as saying to the Telegraph.
The West Bengal apex council will meet next week to finalise the price of the tickets and other necessary actions.
Eden Gardens was scheduled to host an India versus South Africa ODI in March last year but it got cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city of joy is waiting for an international or IPL match since then.
The outfield-related work has been completed for the upcoming India-New Zealand T20I as the stadium is currently playing host to some matches of the Senior Women’s National One-day tournament.
“We’ve worked well in advance to keep the pitch and the outfield ready,” curator Sujan Mukherjee said.
“The wicket will have firm bounce and it promises good cricket for sure. We’ll also get a fair idea from the women’s matches,” he added.
