India vs. England not in Eden Gardesn but Bangalore

India vs. England, arguably the biggest match in the first round of the World Cup, has been shunted to Bangalore from Kolkata, a venue switch suggested by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and approved by the International Cricket Council Monday.

“Some people in Kolkata will miss out, but it’s good for Bangalore,” said Rajeev Shukla, spokesman for the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Not really words to warm the hearts of folks in Kolkata.

And what about the thousands of fans from outside Kolkata (among them, yours truly) who had bought tickets for a once-in-a-lifetime cricketing experience-India vs. England at Eden Gardens, supposedly one of the most magical venues in world cricket?

These fans, who have demonstrated far greater planning and organizational skills than the Kolkata cricket authorities, will have to cancel flights and hotels and assess whether it’s worth making the trip to Bangalore instead. They can rebook tickets online or get in touch with the Karnataka State Cricket Association, Mr. Shukla said.

“Logistics are being worked out,” he said, before firing a warning; “Yes, there will be some problems.”

Hoteliers in Kolkata will also be miffed at losing out on bookings for one of their biggest weekends, and it looks like they will have to look beyond the BCCI for compensation.

“We don’t cover the tourist side of things,” Mr. Shukla said.

At least Bangalore’s 60,000-seater Chinnaswamy Stadium is ready, and an ICC-approved venue, so there are unlikely to be any further setbacks for supporters who rearrange their plans.

Meanwhile, Eden Gardens is in a race to prepare for the three matches it is still set to host – Ireland vs. South Africa on March 15, Ireland vs. Netherlands on March 18 and Kenya vs. Zimbabwe on March 20. The ICC is scheduled to inspect the stadium again on Feb. 7 to assess whether Eden Gardens has pulled itself together and is ready for these lower profile group games.

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/02/01/india-vs-england-switched-to-bangalore/

World Cup Veneus and Stadiums

All of you must be aware that Kolkataa Eden Gardens stadium didn't get the ICC approval and the stadium works were still pending. Most probably the India Vs England match that was previously supposed to be played at Eden Gardesn on Feb 27will now be played at some alternate venue that will be decided by BCCI by Monday 31st January . Good news is that all other venues are given green signal after inspection from ICC officials and below is the list of venues and stadiums that will hold the world cup matches:

• Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi - No Kumble in Indian squad this time yes this is the Place where Kumble took 10 wickets in a test match single innings.
  
• Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai - Already hosted one world cup final.
  
• M. A. Chidambaram stadium, Chennai - rebuilt for the World Cup. No Saedd Anwar this time. His record 194 was scored here against India.
  
• Eden Gardens (Kolkata, India) Capacity: 80,000 Biggest ground in India and enjoys a status akin to the Lord's. Famous for its passionate and vocal crowd and has previously hosted World Cup matches in 1987 and 1996. Of late, spinners like Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble inspired famous victories against Australia and Pakistan.
  
• Feroz Shah Kotla (New Delhi, India) Capacity: 48,000 India leg-spinner Anil Kumble famously took his 10 Test wickets in an innings on this ground in 1999 against Pakistan.
  
• Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai, India) Capacity: 45,000 Host of the final on April 2, the entire stadium was torn down and rebuilt from scratch. Proximity of the ground to the sea allows swing bowlers a fair amount of assistance early on.
  
• M. A. Chidambaram stadium (Chennai, India) Capacity: 50,000 The historic ground, better known as the Chepauk, has been rebuilt for the World Cup. Pakistan's Saeed Anwar scored 194 against India in an Independence Cup match in 1997 at this venue.
  
• Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali - This is nearer to me and I haven't watched any world cup match here hopefull will get to watch semi-final here if India manage to reach the semi finals.
  
• Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur - This venuw has the histoty of having high soring matches.
  
• Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahemdabad - Fully renovated one with state of the art technology
  
• Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore - hosted World Cup matches in 1987 and 1996 including the fiercely-fought quarterfinal between India and Pakistan in March, 1996.
  
• Premadasa Stadium, Sri Laka - Seven matches including one semi final for this only stadium in Sri Lanka with floodlights.
  
• Pallekele Cricket Stadium , Sri Laka - New stadium built for world cup only.
  
• Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka - this is is also new one build by Sri Lanka board for world cup
  
• Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Bangladesh - Held under 19 world cup matches in the past.
  
• Sher-E-Bangla Cricket Stadium , Bangladesh -two quarter finals to be played here in a total of six matches.