Independence Cup inaugural fixture cancelled

The inaugural match of the Independence Cricket Cup between Pakistan and New Zealand will not be staged, as slated, at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association on Wednesday said it would not succumb to pressure tactics from the Sports Authority of India, which had asked for over Rs 5 million in advance to make the Nehru stadium available for the tie.

"We have written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India that we are not in a position to conduct the inaugural tie. As far as DDCA is concerned the match is off," DDCA President K K Mehra and Sports Secretary Sunil Dev said.

Both charged the SAI with backtracking from the earlier agreement and putting up conditions that were not acceptable to the DDCA. Originally, the DDCA was to claim 60 percent and SAI, 40 percent of the net profit generated from the match. It was also agreed that both parties would share the Rs 2 million cost for the polygrass to cover the synthetic track skirting the stadium.

Mehra alleged that SAI reneged on the agreement and demanded Rs 2 million as guarantee money and said the polygrass would cost Rs 3.7 million, which the DDCA would have to pay. The SAI also demanded 25 per cent share if the net profit exceeded its share of Rs 2 million. All this being unacceptable to the DDCA, it decided to cancel the fixture, Sunil Dev said.

He said as the host, the DDCA was bound to pay the BCCI guarantee money, prepare the pitch and organise for boarding and lodging of teams, a total expenditure of Rs 10 million. Despite efforts to clear the air, the SAI had given no written assurance as promised. The DDCA, having little time left, scratched the fixture.