(Cricket News) The IPL game between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) has been rescheduled to 16th April. The KKR’s home match was supposed to be held at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on the 17th of April, but has now been brought up by a day.
The decision has been taken after the Kolkata police showed concerns over providing security for the game, as 17th April is also supposed to be Ram navmi, a Hindu festival. Bengal also begins voting in India’s general elections from April 19, so a section of security personnel will already be deployed for that.
Subsequently, another game that was originally scheduled for April 16, Gujarat Titans vs Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad, has been moved to April 17.
“Since the match is coinciding with Ram Navami and a portion of security is already deployed for elections. Therefore it won’t be possible for us to provide adequate security for the match on April 17,” Kolkata Police said in a letter to Cricket Association of Bengal president Snehasish Ganguly.
Matches being rescheduled, due to festivals is not a new thing India. Many of the games previously has also been moved because of such issues. Even during the ODI World Cup, the CAB requested the BCCI to move the England vs Pakistan game from November 12 to 11 to avoid a clash with the festival of Kali Puja. The Ahmedabad Police also raised similar issues with the city hosting India vs Pakistan in October on the first day of the Navaratri festival.
