India vs England: Chepauk to finally open its three stands to spectators

Crowds will be allowed for the first time in India post-pandemic when India will take on England in the second Test in the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The ongoing Test is being played behind closed doors. In addition to this, there is another good news which will bring a smile to the faces of the Chennai crowd. 

Fans will be allowed in the I, J and K stand of the MA Chidambaram Stadium for the first time in an international match since 2012. The stands which were built ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, have gone under strict scrutiny ever since its establishment. Crowds were not allowed for several safety issues.

This had also stopped the historic stadium from hosting matches during the ICC World T20 in 2016. The same reason was used to deprive the stadium of hosting the final of IPL 2019. The stands were sealed right the 2011 World Cup, but an exception was made during the India versus Pakistan ODI match in 2012. 

15,000 tickets to be sold during the second Test of the INDvENG series

The tickets for the second Test match will be sold online only, a Tamil Nadu Cricket Association official had revealed to the Times of India. There will be 15,000 tickets which will be sold as per the norms which have been set. TNCA Secretary R S Ramasaamy has also revealed that there was some cleaning work going on in the stands and the stadium will be ready for the second Test. 

The second Test will be played from February 13 to 17. A total 4,000 seats are there in each of the I, J and K stands. That makes it a total maximum capacity of 12,000 seats. The tickets for the second Test will go on sale on February 9. 

There were discussions that suggested that the crowds will be allowed in the first Test as well. However, BCCI had enquired about this with the TNCA quite hard, because of which the board couldn’t find time to get ready for the crowds in the stands. After the second Test, the teams will be flying to Ahmedabad where they will play two more Tests, before contesting in a five-match T20I series.