The canopy covering all the stands and the new floodlight system at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at Uppal here is in place to make it as spectator-friendly as possible for the India-England Test match from January 25, says Hyderabad Cricket Association president A. Jagan Mohan Rao.
Mr. Rao said it is a different kind of challenge for the new Apex Council of HCA to host the ‘prestigious’ match. “We are making every effort possible to ensure that there is no scope for any complaints as all basic issues are being addressed. We hope it will be a huge success,” he said.
Referring to the ticketing, the HCA chief said 26,600 tickets daily and 4,600 season tickets (for all five days) were already sold out. “To ensure there are no irregularities, tickets would be sold only online on the Paytm platform. We have also made arrangements to facilitate free entry daily for 5,000 students from sixth to 12th standard from government schools and government-recognised schools for all five days. The students should come in their uniform and carry their identity cards,” he added.
The HCA president also said that Hyderabad would be hosting the BCCI Awards function in the city on January 23 to be attended by both India and England teams besides many former national and international cricketers and officials.
Free entry for Army kin
“To make it truly special, on Republic Day, we have decided to grant free entry to the families of the personnel of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force hailing from Telangana,” he said. “We are in touch with the TSRTC and the Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities for exploring the possibility of running special buses and trains during the Test match,” he informed.
“Importantly, the HCA has decided to install sign boards inside the stands suggesting the prices at which snacks and beverages are to be sold to spectators. We will ensure the strictest possible action against any erring vendor,” he shared.
