Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) home venue MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chennai) is likely to get a big relief as its three stands can be opened ahead of the upcoming IPL season.
CSK is one of the most popular and successful teams in IPL history. Their official home venue is MA Chidambaram Stadium or Chepauk Stadium, which is also the home venue of Tamil Nadu cricket team and has hosted international matches for a long time. In fact, it is India’s second oldest cricket stadium after Eden Gardens (Kolkata). In recent years, the stadium has faced huge issues regarding its three stands which are I, J and K.
MA Chidambaram Stadium facing issues from 2015
Due to the violations of regulations relating to public safety, the Supreme Court ordered to demolish the violating areas. Till that time, these three stands will also remain closed for the spectators. While this issue is continuously running from 2015, the stadium lost the hosting right of IPL 2019 final (but hosted the Qualifier 1 of IPL 2019).
However, now the Madras Cricket Club President, R. Ramesh has revealed that the gym of this stadium will be demolished soon and it will open up the three closed stands for the spectators. He is expecting that the gym will be demolished in February and the three restricted stands can be reopened for the IPL 2020.
Ramesh told Sportstar, “Now we will apply to the corporation and the CMDA for permission to carry out the demolition and we are sure we will be granted that since the gym is not a part of any heritage structure. Only the two old squash courts, the billiards room and the club office, the three buildings within the MCC complex, have been declared heritage structures.
“We expect the gym will be demolished sometime in February so that the three stands can be reopened for the IPL. Chennai should not, anymore, be denied international matches and the IPL final because these three stands remained closed. The cricket fans of the State are the biggest winners. Now we can have more spectators and more big matches at Chepauk.”
IPL 2020 will be the 13th edition of this tournament. According to the latest reports, IPL 2020 will run between 29th March and 24th May 2020.