Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL home game against Lucknow Super Giants on April 6 at Eden Gardens is set to be shifted to Guwahati as the police have expressed their inability to provide security for the contest due to 'Ram Navami' celebrations in the city on the day, said Snehasish Ganguly, president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), on Thursday.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had announced that over 20,000 processions are being organised across West Bengal to celebrate the festival.
"We have informed the BCCI to reschedule the match, but there is no scope for rescheduling the game in the city later, and I'm now hearing that it's going to be shifted to Guwahati," Ganguly said.
The clash between KKR and LSG, owned by RPSG Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka, was expected to draw a packed house, with both teams boasting strong local support.
An official statement from the IPL, however, is yet to arrive.
In season 2024 also, the IPL fixture between KKR and Rajasthan Royals had to be rescheduled due to lack of security arrangements during Ram Navami.
According to the CAB president, accommodating and managing a 65,000-strong crowd would be impossible without proper security in place.
"I had several rounds of talks with the Kolkata Police and they said they won't be able to provide enough security on that day," he added.
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