Sourav Ganguly hopeful for IPL 2025 final at Eden Gardens says, ‘BCCI has very good relationship with CAB'
Former India captain and ex-Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly is hopeful that the Indian Premier League 2025 final will happen in Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens Stadium. The former BCCI president, Ganguly, expressed optimism about the Eden Gardens keeping its date with the IPL final and said CAB shares an 'excellent relationship' with the game's all-powerful apex body.
'We're trying — talking to the BCCI,' Ganguly said when asked about the possibility of Eden Gardens hosting the final as per the original schedule.
The BCCI is yet to officially confirm the venues for the IPL playoffs after the resumption, post a one-week halt due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The rescheduled league fixtures were announced after the tournament was halted on May 8.
'Is it that easy to shift the final? It's Eden's Playoffs, and I'm sure everything will be sorted. I'm very hopeful,' said the former India captain.
A section of people also staged a protest outside the stadium on Friday, demanding that the IPL final be staged in Kolkata. 'Protest doesn't help much. BCCI has a very good relationship with the Cricket Association of Bengal,' said Ganguly to PTI.
The Cricket Association of Bengal is led by Snehasish Ganguly, who is Sourav Ganguly's brother. He is the current president of CAB.
Responding to the delay in finalising the playoffs venues, Ganguly said, 'Kolkata has finished its league matches, so Eden is not there in the first list.'
Eden Gardens was awarded the final after Kolkata Knight Riders won the title in 2024. The venue also hosted the opening match of the 2025 edition and was originally supposed to host Qualifier 2 on May 23 and the final on May 25. However, the tournament schedule was pushed back by a week, with the final now scheduled for June 3 instead of May 25.
KKR were eliminated from IPL 2025 after their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was washed out.
(With inputs from PTI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Prithvi Shaw Is Back! Star Batter Smacks 75 From 34 Balls In T20 Mumbai
Last Updated: Shaw opened the innings for North Mumbai Panthers on Sunday and, with the help of 12 fours and three sixes, scored 75 runs from 34 balls. Prithvi Shaw is back with a bang! The 25-year-old right-handed batter from Mumbai, who went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auctions last year, hammered 75 runs from just 34 balls for North Mumbai Panthers in the T20 Mumbai match played against Triumphs Knights MNE on Sunday, June 8. Shaw opened the innings for North Mumbai Panthers at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai and smacked 12 fours and three sixes during his stay at the crease. He added 62 runs for the second wicket with Arjun Jaiswal (9 from 12 balls) and 30 runs for the third wicket with Harshal Jadhav (46 runs from 30 balls) before being sent back to the pavilion by Suryansh Shedge on the fifth ball of the 10th over. Shaw's attacking show with the bat helped his team post a total of 207 runs on the board for the loss of six wickets, which in the end proved to be enough to win the match. Shaw, who has played five Tests, six ODIs and one T20I for India since making his international debut against the West Indies in October 2018, overall has 137 runs to his name in five matches played so far in T20 Mumbai 2025. Shaw kicked off the season by scoring 5 runs from four balls in the match which his team lost by 40 runs against NaMo Bandra Blasters at Wankhede Stadium on June 4, and in the next fixture against SoBo Mumbai Falcons, Shaw made 5 runs from 11 balls, and his side once again suffered a defeat, this time by nine wickets. In North Mumbai Panthers' third match of the season, Shaw made 33 runs from 23 balls with the help of four fours and one six and helped his side secure a five-wicket win over ARCS Andheri at Wankhede Stadium on June 6. In the rain-hit match played between North Mumbai Panthers and Shams Mulani-led Aakash Tigers MWS on June 7, Shaw scored 19 runs from 12 balls but failed to help his side avoid defeat by 22 runs. Shaw's team finished fourth in the league stage and will now face SoBo Mumbai Falcons in the second semifinal match of T20 Mumbai on June 10 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Star Indian batter Shreyas Iyer is part of the SoBo Mumbai Falcons team. First Published:
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Indore Pink Panthers has firepower to lift the trophy, says skipper Iyer
Indore: With the Madhya Pradesh League 2025 commencing in just two days, , who takes over leadership duties this season for Indore Pink Panthers, believes that while the team has the firepower to lift the trophy. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "We have the ingredients to be champions. But temperament, not just talent, decides the outcome. If we handle pressure well, we'll be right in the race. Our aim is clear—we're playing to lift the trophy," said Venkatesh Iyer, as he prepares to lead Indore Pink Panthers. With a refreshed squad and a focused strategy, the team is looking to make a strong impact in the tournament, scheduled to be held in Gwalior from June 12 to 24. Iyer, India all-rounder and KKR vice-captain in IPL 2025, takes over as captain from Rajat Patidar in what marks a new chapter for the team. "The basic plan is always to win," Iyer told TOI. "But I've played enough cricket to understand that in a tournament like this, success comes from taking one game at a time. My first priority is to ensure every player aligns their personal goals with the team's larger mission." Calling it a "special honour" to lead his hometown team, Iyer said, "For any cricketer, it's a dream to play in front of packed stadiums. MPL has become a platform that allows young cricketers from across the state to live that dream. " This season brings a near-complete overhaul of the Panthers' line-up, with only three players retained from the previous edition. IPL pacer Kulwant Khejroliya (Gujarat Titans) has joined the squad, adding firepower to the bowling unit. The franchise has also introduced emerging talents like all-rounder Siddhant Agarwal and wicketkeeper-batter Mehfooz Patel, both nurtured through the team's Player Development Program in collaboration with MPL. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Talking about Madhya Pradesh's cricketing rise, Iyer credited the growing seriousness around domestic cricket. "Today, teams take us seriously. The mindset in Ranji and Mushtaq Ali tournaments is to win. A lot of that shift is thanks to Chandrakant Pandit sir's leadership and discipline. MP cricket is no longer underestimated."
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
RCB's bitter victory - The cost of celebration
Bengaluru: An aerial view of fans gathering for Royal Challengers Bengaluru�s fan engagement programme after the team won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, near M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI Photo) (PTI06_04_2025_000476B) By Vinod Jacob, Urban strategist and general manager, Namma Bengaluru Foundation The finger-pointing began almost as soon as the news broke. On June 4, a devastating stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium shattered what, less than 24 hours earlier, had been a moment of pure jubilation for Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans, celebrating their first IPL trophy win after eighteen agonising seasons. Eleven lives were claimed, and dozens were injured. The irony was palpable: a triumph long yearned for, now overshadowed by loss. Arrests were made. Officials suspended, followed by more resignations, ex gratia promises — and even calls for Virat Kohli's arrest — while the blame game raged on. But this isn't merely about individual culpability. This is about a systemic breakdown — a question of total administrative failure, especially when dealing with an event that touches the very core of India's cricket passion. For a nation where cricket borders on religion, any public gathering of this magnitude demands meticulous foresight. Was M Chinnaswamy Stadium, with its 35,000-seat capacity, ever truly suitable for a city-wide victory parade, particularly one made free after initially being a paid event? The answer, tragically, is no. The entire celebration should have been shifted to a venue, like the Palace Grounds, the BIEC, or a similar venue, offering proper entry/exit points and capacity for millions. The fact that RCB was headed to the finals had been known for a full week. This provided ample time for the responsible authorities to engage in comprehensive planning, coordinate with the police machinery, and anticipate the monumental public turnout. To now deflect blame onto an already overburdened police department, reeling from the previous night's unruly celebrations where citizens went berserk, pulling out barricades, seems not just unfair, but a convenient diversion from deeper administrative shortcomings. And why was there need for two locations? A single, well-planned convergence at one venue could have ensured effective crowd management, robust contingency plans, and, most critically, citizen safety. That safety aspect appears to have been completely disregarded. The stadium's own infrastructure is wanting – narrow, unramped gates with metal obstructions, utterly incapable of handling a rush, even for a normal game, let alone a historic celebration. Bengaluru has hosted large-scale gatherings before; surely lessons could have been learned from major shows that proceeded without incident. Other metros – Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai – have successfully orchestrated similar mass celebrations. Why, then, can Bengaluru, the supposed IT capital, not leverage technology for better crowd management, anticipating flows and ensuring security? A bus parade, like those seen elsewhere, would have been infinitely safer than directing millions to a fixed point of convergence. Unchecked chaos also inflicted damage on Cubbon Park. Trees, plants, and even birds' nests were destroyed due to the event's chaotic spillover — another terrible blow to Bengaluru's strained biodiversity, a particularly painful scar on the so-called 'Garden City'. Fans have every right to celebrate after an 18-year wait; they cannot be blamed for their exuberant outpouring. While citizens do bear some responsibility for failing to adhere to basic crowd control measures like queuing and respecting barricades, the primary culpability lies with the planning. The critical misallocation of manpower at free gates, with too few police for too many unmanned entry points and the added burden of VIP security, tragically sealed the fate for those eleven lives. The euphoria of victory has been drowned out by the cries of anguish. Bengaluru must now reflect, learn, and ensure that no triumph, no matter how sweet, is ever again marred by such preventable sorrow. The blame isn't diffused; it lies squarely with a system unprepared to manage its grand moments. What systemic changes will we truly implement to prevent history from tragically repeating itself ?
