The BCCI is planning a massive renovation of at least five major stadiums in India ahead of the ODI World Cup in October-November.
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The game has attracted huge money over the past 10 years, making BCCI, the richest board in the world, richer. However, the stoic fan, which has made the game what it has become, is often deprived of basic facilities at most venues around the country.
During the India-Australia Test series in February-March, fans had vented their ire over the lack of clean toilets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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It is not surprising that Delhi is among the five venues which underwent a GAP assessment from the BCCI.
As per the list accessed by PTI, the other venues are Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mohali and Mumbai.
The Wankhede in Mumbai had undergone renovation before the India-Australia ODIs last month after a fan complained of poor sanitary conditions at the famous stadium.
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Hundreds of crores
The projected cost of renovation at the five venues runs into hundreds of crores.
Even if one doesn't factor the cost of roof renovation, which is not a possibility at least in Delhi due to structural flaws at the venue, the costs are huge.
It will cost ₹100 crore to revamp the Delhi stadium, ₹117.17 crore for Hyderabad, ₹127.47 crore for the iconic Eden Gardens at Kolkata, ₹79.46 crore for the ageing PCA stadium in Mohali and ₹78.82 crore for Wankhede. The costs increase drastically if roof work is involved.
Twelve venues have been shortlisted to host World Cup games and they include Ahmedabad, the likely venue for the final, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot and Mumbai.
A total of 48 games will be played in the 46-day ICC event. India last hosted the ODI World Cup in 2011 when the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team lifted the trophy.