'No Better Stadium Than Eden Gardens': Politics At Play Over IPL Final Venue Shift
Last Updated:
West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas criticised the justification given by the BCCI, stating that even the weather department cannot forecast conditions for June 1 to 4 yet.
West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has made strong allegations that the state has been deliberately sidelined in the decision to move the IPL final from Eden Gardens. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, he stated that the move was politically motivated. He also refuted the claim made by Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar that the match was shifted due to law and order concerns, calling it 'completely false and a baseless rumour" — a claim echoed by the Bengal Police Commissioner as well.
Aroop Biswas asserted, 'There is no better stadium than Eden Gardens. Even if it rains, matches can resume within half an hour — no other stadium in India offers this facility. Yet, the final has been shifted to Ahmedabad under the guise of weather concerns. This is just an excuse. It seems pre-decided that no final will be held anywhere but Ahmedabad. In the last four years, three finals have taken place at the Narendra Modi Stadium."
He further criticised the justification given by the BCCI, stating that even the weather department cannot forecast conditions for June 1 to 4 yet. He presented data supporting his claim.
Biswas went on to challenge Sukanta Majumdar's claims of security concerns, saying, 'BCCI and the IPL Governing Council haven't cited security issues. These are just excuses. The real intent is to deprive Bengal." He added, 'As the Sports Minister of Bengal, I protest this decision. Ask the CAB's Secretary and President why they haven't spoken out. The CAB should have protested."
Police Commissioner Manoj Verma also addressed the issue, stating, 'There has never been any law and order issue at Eden Gardens. Seven matches were held smoothly this season. Historically, matches in Kolkata have always been conducted peacefully. Any suggestion otherwise is baseless and seems driven by another agenda."
During a press conference, Aroop Biswas also highlighted broader issues, claiming that Bengal is being systematically deprived — from sports to central government schemes like Awas Yojana, rural road development, and the 100-day employment program. 'We are owed Rs 1.87 lakh crore by the central government. Despite repeated denials, the people of Bengal will continue to give a fitting response, as they have in the past and will do in the future," he said.
Interestingly, following the press conference, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar deleted his earlier post on X (formerly Twitter) where he had mentioned law and order issues as the reason behind the match being moved.
First Published:
May 23, 2025, 08:31 IST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
18 minutes ago
- India.com
Rajat Patidar to Anil Kumble: Star players to reach IPL final in debut captaincy season
Leading from the front in their very first season as captain, several star players have taken their teams all the way to the IPL final. From veterans like Anil Kumble to rising stars like Rajat Patidar, these debut skippers made an instant impact. For his debut season as captain, Rajat Patidar helped the Royal Challengers Bangalore become finalists of the IPL. The win over the Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 allows them to progress to the championship match. In his first year as captain, Pat Cummins helped lead Sunrisers Hyderabad to the IPL 2024 final. The Sunrisers Hyderabad's campaign under Cummins ended in defeat in the final match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, but they still achieved much during his leadership. Hardik Pandya played a key role as the Gujarat Titans beat all odds to win the IPL in their very first season in 2022. The final match ended in Gujarat's victory over Rajasthan Royals in the final, making it a special debut for the team. Kane Williamson led the Sunrisers Hyderabad to the IPL 2018 final in his first season as captain which was an amazing achievement. Even though they lost to the Chennai Super Kings, their run to the finals showed how well Williamson led and how good the team played. Being captain for the first time, George Bailey guided the Kings XI Punjab (presently Punjab Kings) to the IPL title match in 2014. Even though they came up short against the Kolkata Knight Riders, reaching the final proved Bailey's leadership on the team. Rohit Sharma was named captain of Mumbai Indians in the 2013 IPL season after the team had started its campaign. With his leadership, the team achieved victory in the IPL Championship during the first season they had him as coach. The Mumbai Indians beat the Chennai Super Kings in a close final game. As captain for the first time, Dan Vettori helped the Royal Challengers Bangalore finish as runners-up at the 2011 IPL final. Their final game against Chennai Super Kings was not won, but their effort and determination throughout are worthy of notice. As captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the first time in 2009, Anil Kumble guided his team to the final of the IPL. RCB was not able to win the championship, but playing under Kumble's direction was an important achievement for the team. In the 2008 IPL, MS Dhoni as captain guided Chennai Super Kings to the final by showing great skill. Even though they lost to the Rajasthan Royals, their success showed what great talent and teamwork they had.
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
"We just kept pegging them back": PBKS bowling coach lauds bowlers for thrilling win over MI
Shreyas Iyer's explosive 87 propelled Punjab Kings to victory over Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2, chasing down a 203-run target with an over to spare. Despite MI's strong start, PBKS' bowlers, particularly Arshdeep Singh and Azmatullah Omarzai, contained the score. PBKS bowling coach James Hopes deflected the praise to his bowling contingent as well. Punjab Kings secured their first IPL final berth since 2014 by successfully chasing down Mumbai Indians' total of 203 with an over remaining in Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad. While Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 87 off 41 balls led the batting charge, PBKS bowling coach James Hopes praised his bowling unit for containing Mumbai Indians on a batting-friendly surface. Mumbai Indians got off to a strong start after being sent in to bat, reaching 65 for 1 in the powerplay overs. They maintained a run rate of over ten runs per over during the middle phase of the innings. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! However, the Punjab Kings bowlers managed to take regular wickets, preventing Mumbai Indians from launching a final assault in the death overs. "There was a stage where I reckon they were looking at 220, 225 and we just kept pegging them back at the right time," Hopes said at the post-match press conference. "We never went for that big over of 18, 19. We kept pegging them at 10, 11 knowing that we got Arshdeep coming at the end and Azmatullah bowled beautifully as well. " "We gave them a few extra runs, yeah, but that's why I was saying I thought they were going to get 220. There was a bit of confidence in our group when they only got 200, thinking we've dragged them back here. You could even tell our first over batting the way the ball came off the bat, it was just skipping off the bat a little more and you could tell there was just a little bit of dew, a little bit of wetness out there, that was going to help us, and it did. " IPL 2025 Winner Prediction: What Greenstone Lobo's Astrology says The chase of 204 was particularly challenging against five-time champions Mumbai Indians, who had never lost while defending a total over 200, especially with Jasprit Bumrah's impressive economy rate of 6.36. Poll Will Punjab Kings win their first IPL title this year? Yes, they have the momentum! No, they will fall short. Josh Inglis took on Bumrah early, hitting him for two sixes and two fours in his first over, providing crucial momentum to the chase. "The way Josh Inglis attacked Boom up front to get him off his game a little bit… if you'd told us we were chasing 200 at the start of the day and we were going to take 40 off Jasprit, we would have taken that every day of the week and liked our chances," said Hopes . "Josh has got a pretty good record against him in short-form cricket. He plays him well," added the coach. "I don't think it was a conscious decision to go after that over. He just got some balls and he put them away, and on another day, those balls go to the fielder and he's not taking what he did off that over. So doing that to him in the first over not only has a flow-on effect for his bowling but has a flow-on effect for the rest of their team as well," said Hopes. 'I don't want to be a one-season wonder': Punjab Kings' Shashank Singh "He doesn't get flustered very easily and he knows his match-ups," said Hopes in praise of skipper Shreyas Iyer. "Tonight we kept them to 200 when I reckon they could have got 220, 230 and just because the way he pulls the strings out there and manoeuvres bowlers around. We had Vyshak with one over left. He took his gut call to bowl Azmat. He's a sensational captain and he's a sensational player," stated the coach as Iyer led the franchise to its first final since 2014, and possibly, to a maiden IPL crown.
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Preity Zinta jumps with joy, makes Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer finally smile as PBKS beat Mumbai Indians to qualify for IPL finals
Preity Zinta is a happy team owner as Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians by five wickets on Sunday to qualify for the finals of the Indian Premier League. The actor-entrepreneur was seen jumping with joy and celebrating the victory with Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer on the cricket field. In a video gone viral on social media, Preity can be seen clapping and jumping with joy in the cricket stands as Punjab Kings clinched victory against Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier. She looked radiant in an-all white salwar suit and dupatta. In what's being called 'picture of the day,' Preity is seen smiling and posing with Shreyas Iyer on the field after the match. Finally 𝐕𝐢𝐫-𝐙𝐚𝐫𝐚 in Finals!!❤️💀 Congratulations to all RCB and Punjab fans for the final. 🔥 I am very happy for Preity Zinta.#PBKSvsMI #PreityZinta — 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗺 (@Sareem_CreateX) June 1, 2025 During the match, Preity was also seen smiling and clapping from the stands as Punjab Kings player Yuzvendra Chahal took the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav. Chahal's rumoured girlfriend, radio jockey-turned-actor RJ Mahvash, was also seen in the stands. She jumped with joy as well, as Chahal took the wicket. RJ Mahvash and Preity Zinta after Yuzvendra chahal took surya Kumar's wicket 🥳 — Taukir (@Iamhiiiiiim) June 1, 2025 Last week, Mahvash shared a picture, posing with Preity from the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, where the two were present to cheer Punjab Kings as the team competed with Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, in which Punjab Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by 10 runs. Thanks to the win on Sunday, Preity's team Punjab Kings will now square off against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL finals at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. Last week, Punjab Kings lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first qualifier, which paved the way for the latter to secure a spot in the finals. Pictures of Kohli's wife and actor Anushka Sharma celebrating and Preity Zinta looking sad flooded social media. Given the two teams will go up against each other in the finals again, similar visuals are expected to surface all over social media again. Earlier in the tournament, Preity and Kohli were seen showing each other the pictures of their kids on each other's phones. Preity, married to American financial analyst Gene Goodenough, has two twins — Jai and Gia — born via surrogacy in 2021. Meanwhile, Kohli and Anushka, who married in 2017, have two kids too — daughter Vamika and son Akaay. They keep shuttling between India and London. Anushka's last film as an actor was Aanand L Rai's 2018 romantic drama Zero opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Also Read — Preity Zinta hits back at trolls for their 'cynicism'; asks what's wrong with appreciating PM: 'If you are a proud Hindu or Indian…' Meanwhile, Preity was last seen in Neeraj Pathak's 2018 action comedy Bhaiaji Superhit opposite Sunny Deol. She'll soon reunite with Deol in Rajkumar Santoshi's period drama Lahore 1947, which is backed by Aamir Khan Productions. Also starring Shabana Azmi, Ali Fazal, and Karan Deol, Lahore 1947 is expected to release in cinemas soon.
