By IANS,
Mohali : Despite the presence of stars like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh, the Indian cricket board’s Corporate Cup turned out to be a damp squib failing to attract crowd at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here.
The PCA Stadium that offers best facilities in the country was nearly empty during the weekdays while just 700-800 fans turned up Sunday at the 30,000 seater stands.
At the start of the series, PCA officials expected a good response from public since leading cricketers were turning out for their employers.
“Response from the public is lukewarm,” PCA spokesperson Sushil Kapoor told IANS.
In recent times, the Mohali crowd has stayed away from international matches and last year Sachin Tendulkar became the leading scorer in Test cricket in a near-empty stadium. India also won the match by a record 320-run margin against the Australians but the crowds were missing.
Fans say that the 50-over format, which is being played in the Corporate Trophy, does not attract them any more in the time of slam-bang Twenty20 version.
“We do not want to watch 50-over or a five-day match any more when we have an option of Twenty20 cricket,” said Subodh Sharma, young cricket enthusiast.