By IANS
New Delhi : No less than “60 people” are expected to be present on the stage where the triangular series-winning Indian cricket team will be felicitated at the historical Ferozeshah Kotla here Thursday afternoon, leading to chaos and mismanagement.
“At the moment they are talking about space for 60 people who climb on to the stage. But you can expect many more,” said an official of the Delhi and District Cricket Association, which is organising the function in conjunction with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“The function is being organised at our ground and we have the right to be present there. Although I am not supposed to be there on the stage, but if I get a chance I will also climb on to it. So, expect chaos,” another candid DDCA member told IANS.
It is a rare occasion for Delhi’s cricket fans, and for DDCA, which is known for mismanagement. Two recent felicitation functions were held in Mumbai, including the triumphal five-hour parade of the Twenty20 World Championship-winning team there last September.
That felicitation function, too, left a bad taste in the mouth as politicians and administrators jostled the players off the front row.
The chaos here may be compounded as the DDCA election is scheduled this month and those contesting would try to please their potential supporters and voters by not objecting to them climbing on to the dais.
Most match-end prize distribution functions organised by DDCA in the past have descended into chaos. Far too many people climb and cling on to the dais to get into the photo frames.
It was partly because of the potential crowds on the roads and partly due to players’ tiredness that an open bus ride from the Indira Gandhi airport to the Kotla ground has been cancelled. Thursday, Shivratri, is a public holiday.
The celebration will now be confined to the Kotla felicitation, where entry will be free for the public.
The team landed in Mumbai at around 10.30 a.m. The players were scheduled to fly to Delhi in a chartered flight. From the airport, they will be taken to the Inter Continental Hotel from where they will be brought to the Kotla for the function.