BCCI to ICC: Let’s play in Bengaluru

By Soumitra Bose

Who says politics don’t mix with sports? Here’s a classic case as one of the world’s most sacred cricket grounds gropes in the darkness to wear its prettiest frock for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Even as hectic behind-the-scene political parleys carry on to save the February 27 India versus England World Cup match at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, the Indian Cricket Board has recommended Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium as the alternate venue. Under the circumstances, this seems to be a ploy to keep an angry ICC at bay and win some time for the Garden of Eden.

According to a press release Sunday evening, the BCCI has suggested that the match be held in the Garden City as the ICC is adamant not to let the City of Joy host the crucial encounter, a definite crowd-puller.

Even as BCCI suggests the name of Bengaluru, Kolkata is not giving up hope. It’s now becoming a full-fledged political battle with ICC president and Union minister Sharad Pawar flooded with phone calls from political heavyweights requesting Kolkata be given a February 7 deadline to put its house in order.

The latest to join the “save the Kolkata match mission” is Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is taking up cudgels on behalf of the beleaguered Cricket Association of Bengal chief, Jagmohan Dalmiya. It will be worth seeing how Pawar ignores a request made by Mukherjee.

Pulling its weight behind Kolkata is the West Bengal chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya, who has reportedly called Pawar and made a “personal” request. With the assembly elections round the corner in West Bengal, analysts see this as a smart move by the CPM government to win the “hearts of the people” and gain some brownie points. The Left Front government is facing stiff competition from its main rival, the Trinamool Congress.

Not to be left behind, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and her team is also playing its cards. Trinamool is a constituent of the central ministry and Banerjee’s soft-corner for Kolkata (read: Eden Gardens) is well known.

With ICC not willing to relent, much depends on Pawar and how much he can extract from his team based at Dubai. The ICC team that has pinned down Eden Gardens and for legitimate reasons, consists of members who have never seen Dalmiya in the eye. Many see this is a chance to teach Dalmiya, a former ICC president, a lesson of a lifetime.

But Dalmiya is a great survivor. He is known to be a man who can make the impossible happen. But this one seems to be getting out of hand. It was Pawar who ousted Dalmiya from BCCI’s corridors of power and now Eden’s fortunes are probably in the hands of this Maratha heavyweight.

Who will be the Man of the Match?