Venue change: Organisers move Syed Mushtaq fixture after unusual crowd surge for Hardik Pandya

NEW DELHI: Organisers shifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Baroda and Gujarat to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday after large crowds gathered to watch Hardik Pandya, raising security concerns at the Gymkhana ground.

Baroda won the match by eight wickets. The decision to shift the venue was taken because of unexpected crowd numbers and security concerns around Hardik’s presence.




This was Hardik’s second competitive match after returning from a two-month injury break. He was injured during India’s Asia Cup Super Fours match against Sri Lanka and had been out since. He missed both the ODI and T20I series against Australia and was not available for the ongoing 50-over series against South Africa.

Hardik will next play for India in the five-match T20I series against South Africa starting December 9 in Cuttack.

The venue change became necessary after unusually large crowds gathered near the team hotel, training areas, and ticket counters, news agency PTI reported, quoting officials. They said the numbers were much higher than what domestic matches usually attract.

"Fan turnout, enquiries, and crowd movement exceeded our projections by a huge margin. To ensure safety and smooth match operations, we decided to shift the match to Rajiv Gandhi Stadium," a senior organising official was quoted as saying by PTI.

After scoring an unbeaten 77 against Punjab on Tuesday, Hardik bowled four overs for Baroda against Gujarat, finishing with 1 for 16, including a maiden. Gujarat were bowled out for 73.

Hardik made 10 off six balls, hitting two fours, before being dismissed by Ravi Bishnoi.

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