Kanpur Stadium Stands, Floodlights Under Scrutiny Ahead of 2nd IND-BAN Test, Major Issues Flagged

Team India's red-ball schedule will make a stop at Kanpur's iconic Green Park Stadium, where the second match of the India vs Bangladesh series will take place. It is a big deal for the UPCA (Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association) as they will be hosting a match in Kanpur after quite a while. But ahead of the 2nd red-ball match, the venue has run into a couple of problems, raising concerns on the BCCI hosting the match in the venue. Safety concerns have been flagged a day before the match officially begins.

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IND vs BAN: Issues Flagged Over Green Park Stadium’s Infrastructure Ahead of 2nd Test Match

Ahead of the India vs Bangladesh Test match in Kanpur, reports from The Indian Express have confirmed that one particular stand (Balcony C) has been flagged for safety issues by the PWD, and the UPCA has decided to not sell tickets for that zone and limit the sale for the Stand.

“The PWD has raised some issues, and we have agreed that we will not sell all the tickets of Balcony C. We have been told to sell only 1700 tickets for the stand, which has a capacity of 4,800. The repair work will continue for the next couple of days,” UPCA CEO Ankit Chatterjee said as per reports.

The PWD conducted a thorough investigation of the stand and have warned of the risks, which led to the recommendation that the stand needs to be closed for the safety of the masses. To put things in perspective, a PWD engineer said that the zone won't be able to withstand the fans' thrill if Rishabh Pant smashes a six.

"This stand won't be able to take the weight of even 50 fans if they start jumping after Rishabh Pant hits a six. This part of the stadium is in dire need of repair," a PWD engineer reportedly said.

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Another infrastructural issue the report has pointed out is the lighting issue, as eight floodlight bulbs which are close to the VIP pavilion are not functioning accordingly. Kanpur has lighting and low visibility issues as the day progresses. Three years back, India locked horns with New Zealand, where the hosts failed to win the Test match because of the lighting issues.

"In Kanpur, visibility has always been a problem. It's mostly because of the pollution. The last time, India failed to win the Test against New Zealand at this venue because of bad light, ironically when all the floodlights were on. Hopefully, we won't have to go through that embarrassment again," said an officer.