Heightened Security In Odisha Capital For 2nd India-South Africa T20I

Bhubaneswar: The deck are cleared for the much-awaited India-South Africa T20I at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium with the Orissa High Court on Tuesday quashing the PIL, seeking cancellation of the match.

The visitors South Africa is scheduled to play a 5-match T20 series in India, which will begin on June 9 in Delhi. The rest of the four games will be played at Cuttack, Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Bangalore on June 12, June 14, June 17, and June 19 respectively. Both the teams will arrive in Bhubaneswar on June 10 for the match at Cuttack.

Speaking to the media, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said security will be heightened in Odisha capital ahead of the India-South Africa T20I match. “Tight security will be put in place at the airport, hotel, and also along the hotel-stadium route. A total of 21 platoons of police force to be deployed in Bhubaneswar,” he said.

He further said that foolproof protection will be provided for smooth movement of players between the twin cities for playout and practice sessions. “We will make route lining arrangements and ensure safety of players during their stay and travel,” the DCP added.

Meanwhile, offline sale of tickets began at 10 am at the conference hall of Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) for schools, colleges, clubs and other organisations affiliated to OCA. The tickets for the general public will be made available at different counters of the stadium on June 9 and 10.

Spectators in full capacity will watch the second T20I at the Barabati Stadium. The match will be played with 100 per cent spectators capacity under the newly installed LED Flood Light (the first LED Sports Flood Light in Odisha) and newly laid Sand Based Outfield.

The Bararabti Stadium has hosted one Test match and two T20Is till date. The last match played at this venue was a T20I game between India and Sri Lanka in 2017.