Kolkata: BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has said that spectators will not be allowed in the India-West Indies Twenty20 match to be played at Eden Gardens Stadium. The Gujarat State Cricket Association had earlier said that the ODI series would be played without spectators due to the possibility of Kovid spreading.
Kovid has already confirmed eight members of the Indian team, including the support staff. Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rituraj Gaikwad and Navdeep Saini are still in isolation due to illness.
Ganguly said the public will not be given tickets to watch the three Twenty20 matches at Eden Gardens. There is a risk of getting fans inside in the event of an epidemic. “It will affect the safety of the players,” Ganguly said.
However, Cricket Association of Bengal president Avishek Dalmia said they had not received any official notification from the BCCI. Earlier, the West Bengal government had said that 75 per cent of the spectators would be allowed inside the stadium.
However, the BCCI said it did not want to jeopardize the players’ health by allowing spectators. The ODI series starts on February 6 in Ahmedabad. Twenty20 will also start on the 16th.