KOCHI: The
BCCI tours and fixtures committee has allotted one of the matches in the India vs West Indies five-match ODI series in November 2018 to
Kerala Cricket Association (KCA).
Indications are that the KCA officials want to first explore the possibility of having the match hosted at
Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi and if only this plan doesn’t materialize, they will settle for Sports Hub in Thiruvananthapuram, which is likely to happen.
The KCA which has MoUs signed with both GCDA, the custodians of the JNI stadium, and KSFL, the custodians of Sports Hub, which gives them the right to host international matches at both these venues.
The JNI stadium last hosted an international cricket match in November 2014, also against West Indies and since then football has literally taken over with the stadium hosting Indian Super League matches in the last four seasons and FIFA hosting eight matches of the U-17 World Cup here last year.
The KCA wants to put an end to this as they have invested more than Rs 10 crore at JNI stadium and have a security deposit of Rs one crore with GCDA. “We want to host the match in Kochi. We moved the last match to Thiruvananthapuram as JNI stadium was hosting U-17 World Cup. The undertaking we have with GCDA is that whenever an international match is allotted, be it cricket or football, that game should get precedence. So we are only asking GCDA to honour the understanding we have with them. We will be officially writing to them in this regard on Monday,” said KCA president Ronklin John.
However, with the fifth season of Indian Super League likely to commence early in October and the GCDA and
Kerala Football Association unlikely to yield to the demands of KCA, they may well have to settle for Sports Hub in Thiruvananthapuram as the ODI venue.