Chennai will not host any matches in this year’s Champions League T20, to be held from September 13 to October 4, despite Chennai Super Kings qualifying for the tournament.
Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) secretary K.S. Viswanathan told The Hindu on Thursday thatthe city was ruled out as host since the relaying of pitches at the M.A. Chidambaram (MAC) stadium was yet to be completed.
“The wickets will be ready only in December so we won’t have any Champions League T20 matches here this time around,” said Viswanathan.
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ICC chairman and TNCA president N. Srinivasan had at a function last month expressed hope that all the stands at the MAC Stadium would be open to the public during the Champions League.
Asked if there was a delay in the completion of the relaying work, Viswanathan replied in the negative.
“The relaying work began after the IPL. Wickets can’t be relayed in two months. It hasn’t been delayed.”
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When queried about the fate of the Ranji Trophy matches here, he said that plans were in place.
“We have other grounds, too, such as IIT-Chemplast and IC-Guru Nanak. In any case, there are going to be ‘away’ games as well.
“We have four ‘home’ games. We could plan in such a way that we could play the second or the third game at Chepauk. There is time for it. Even the schedule isn’t out yet,” said Viswanathan.