Ahead of the all important IPL auction for season 2020, a tussle between two North India based franchise- Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab has started as both the teams are eyeing Ekana International stadium of Lucknow as their home ground.
Its worth mentioning that both the teams were interested to host their home games at the same venue in 2019 but lack of some facilities including parking didn’t help their cause. However, Ekana stadium in Lucknow which is now known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee stadium has risen up to become a world class stadium with over 50,000+ seating capacity and modern drainage system.
“We are speaking to both Kings XI as well as Delhi Capitals and we are yet to come to a decision on this. We will have to wait and see how it goes as the views of the BCCI and UPCA will also be taken into account apart from the discussions that are held with the two franchise,” CircleofCricket quoted a report of Uday Sinha, the chairman-cum-managing director of Ekana Group as saying.
It is likely that the teams will play their two games at their second home ground to extend their fan base. Kings XI had previously played their home games in Indore, but seeing the poor turnout at the venue, they have made their mind to move to the capital of Uttar Pradesh, which houses many ardent fans who have been waiting to see their favourite cricketers infront on their eyes.
Not to forget, KD Singh Babu Stadium was the first International venue of the city but it later didn’t matched the standards and International cricket was a thing of past for Lucknow since 1994. The newly built Ekana stadium brought International cricket back to the city, when India played West Indies in a T20 game in 2018.
“It is one of the best stadiums in the country and feels really good to see the interest. Also, the revenue generated for the game between India and West Indies (debut game at the venue) was a record,” Uday Sinha added.
