Rajkot:

The Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), which had hosted 10 matches at its Khanderi stadium here during last 2 seasons of IPL as the home ground of Gujarat Lions (which was not playing this time around owing to completion of 2 years contract and comeback of the two earlier banned teams) is hoping to get a few matches this time also owing to the possibility of shifting of some matches of Chennai Superkings (CSK) due to ongoing protests in Chennai in the wake of Cauvery water dispute.

SCA spokesperson Himanshu Shah today said that though they have not made any formal request or written any letter to either BCCI or IPC Governing Council or Chennai Superkings Management for shifting of matches yet they hope that some of the matches might be shifted here as the authorities know that the stadium here was fully ready to organizes matches.

‘Today we had informally put forth our submission that we are prepared to hold matches in case the matches are decided to be shifted out of Chennai. But we have not written any letter or made any formal claim in this regard,’ he said.

Notably Rajkot has not got any match this time as Gujarat lions was now not playing in IPL 11 as the 2 year contract of it has ended and Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royal have made re-entry in the league after end of their two year suspension.

Shah said that the SCA had a few months back requested the Indian cricket board and the IPL Governing Council for a chance to stage one play-off game of the T20 League this season. But they did not respond to it.

He said that the claim was made on the ground that we had successfully staged ten IPL matches during Season 9 and Season 10 and the world-class stadium being the home ground of the Gujarat Lions here.

DeshGujarat