Reports: Jodhpur likely to host few IPL 2023 matches, BCCI to send Recce team for assessment

Barkatullah Khan Stadium in Jodhpur might get the green light to host their first Indian Premier League game in the upcoming edition of the tournament. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, this is for the first time that the tournament will be hosted on a pan-India basis and the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) wants to take advantage of that and spread the game in various parts of the state.

As per Indian Express, the top officials of RCA have orally communicated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about their desire to host a few matches in the city and a decision about it will soon be made. The Roger Binny-led organization will send a team to assess the ground and the facility and if proven worthy, it will get the positive nod.

“It’s a verbal request. We have been told that RCA has rejuvenated the stadium, and have asked us if we can consider Jodhpur as a new venue for a few IPL games. The board will take a call on it only after the recce team submits its report,” a source in the BCCI was quoted in the report.

The report also claims that BCCI has major concerns regarding the boundary size of the stadium. A portion believes that it’s not up to the required distance and might eventually play a role in Jodhpur not getting the opportunity to host.

However, the stadium recently hosted a few First-Class games and thus, RCA is optimistic about the entire situation. The ground also hosted a few matches of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) in 2022 and it was a massive success, given the number of people that turned up on match days. The venue has the capacity to host 30,000 people and thus, there’s a massive possibility that the IPL’s governing council eventually gives the green light to Jodhpur.

Currently, the Sawai Maan Singh Stadium in Jaipur is the home ground for the Rajasthan Royals franchise. Notably, the 16th edition of the IPL is reported to begin in the last week of March.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store