"A Rotational Matter": Rajeev Shukla Reacts To Aaditya Thackeray On Mumbai Vs Ahmedabad
Mumbai: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajeev Shukla responded to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray’s tweet, “Never take away a World Cup final from Mumbai.” Junior Thackeray has tweeted after the Indian team, which returned from Barbados after being crowned the T20I champions, was accorded a grand welcome in the city with thousands of Mumbaikars flooded Marine Drive and Wankhede Stadium to witness the victory parade by Rohit Sharma and co..
Shukla, who was also present with the Team Indian contingent, emphasised the importance of venue rotation for major cricket events in response to Thackeray.
Shukla expressed gratitude to Mumbaikars for their large turnout to welcome the victorious Team India and explained that the decision on where to hold the ICC World Cup final in Ahmedabad was purely rotational.
He noted that finals cannot always be given to one city, mentioning that Kolkata and Mumbai have both hosted finals in the past. Shukla also pointed out the large capacity of the Ahmedabad ground (Narendra Modi Stadium), which can accommodate over 1.30 lakh spectators, and stated that venue selection also considers capacity.
Shukla has also assured that Mumbai is always a priority but emphasised that restricting finals to one city is not practiced in any country.
“I thank Mumbaikars who came in such large numbers to welcome the victorious Team India yesterday. It is purely a rotational matter as to where the final should be held. It cannot always be given to one city. Kolkata has also hosted finals, and so has Mumbai. The capacity of the Ahmedabad ground is more than 1.30 lakh, and we also consider capacity. You cannot be confined to one venue. However, we were very happy to see the response of Mumbaikars. Every match is important, and Mumbai is always on our priority list. But to say that it should be held only in one city, this never happens in any country,” Shukla was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Thackeray’s criticism came after a massive crowd in Mumbai welcomed the Indian cricket team, celebrating their ICC T20I Cricket World Cup 2024 victory with a parade on Thursday. Fans gathered at Wankhede Stadium, known for hosting historic events like India’s first T20 World Cup victory in 2007, the 2011 Cricket World Cup win, and Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell in 2013.
