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The match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) of Indian Premier League (IPL) is likely to be rescheduled because of the security reasons related to Ram Navami celebrations in the west of Bengal. This match is originally scheduled for 6th of April at Kolkata's Eden Garden stadium. The BJP leader also stated that at this event there will be over 20,000 possessions taking place over west Bengal, leading to the serious need of police across the state.
Eden Gardens in Kolkata will accommodate several prime IPL 2025 games, such as the season starter between KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 22 and the last game on May 25. The stadium also has a history of conducting big-ticket cricket games without any threats or security reasons but sometimes unexpected situations occur just like the Ram Navami celebrations which also became the reason of rescheduling a match between KKR and RR in the previous season.
Snehasish Ganguly, the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) confirmed the move after negotiations with the authorities, stating, "They have categorically told us they won't be able to give proper security. It becomes impossible to host a 65,000-strong crowd in an open stadium without police cover". Kolkata Police declined to give security clearance for the match, citing conflicting commitments across the state with over 20,000 Ram Navami processions, many of which are clustered in Kolkata.
There are indications that the match could be relocated to Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha, which has hosted 16 matches of IPL previously. However, there is still no official announcements, neither the BCCI nor the franchises have made the alternative arrangements official.
Why Barabati Stadium: The stadium has proven IPL track record by hosting the league matches in the past. It’s seat capacity and infra-structure meets the standards of BCCI high profile games. It is also geographically neutral as its location is way out of west Bengal avoiding the Ram Navami event, easing security coordination.
As of now, the situation has already been stated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and they are reviewing it, it is expected that they will announce their final decision soon.
The IPL match between KKR and LSG is scheduled on the 6th of April but is likely to be reschedule because of an event of Ram Navami celebrations in the west Bengal which will acquire most of the security and their will not be enough security left to handle 65,000 crowd of the match. The ground has a clean record and hosted many other matches without any hurdles but because of this event this is the second time that it will cause rescheduling. Current status of the league is that it will start soon on 22nd of March as it is scheduled and the other matches will also continue on the same dates that have been given to them according to the IPL schedule. Cricket fans are advised to wait patiently as the BCCI will announce their final decision soon.
