By IANS,
Raipur : The Chhattisgarh government has offered to host a few matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and assured full security cover despite the schedule clashing with the general elections, an official said here Saturday.
“We are very keen to host some IPL twenty20 matches at the newly-built stadium on the outskirts of Raipur. Chief Minister Raman Singh spoke with IPL commissioner Lalit Modi Friday and formally made the offer,” Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS) president Baldev Singh Bhatia told IANS.
“The chief minister has assured full security cover to the players and officials if Chhattisgarh is given a chance to host the matches,” he added.
He claimed that Raipur has better cricketing facilities than several other venues in the race to host IPL matches in April-May.
Chhattisgarh’s first ever international cricket stadium, with a seating capacity of 60,000, was inaugurated in September last year.
The stadium is built at Parsada village in Naya Raipur, 20 km from here.
The CSCS claims that the stadium is the second best in the country after the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in terms of seating capacity and facilities available to the crowd and players.
The stadium complex is spread over 50 acres. It has an electronic score board, nine pitches and a car parking which can hold 6,000 four-wheelers besides 11 ticket plazas, Bhatia said.