India and New Zealand will play the second Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from Friday. Meanwhile, the capacity crowd at the venue would be limited to 25%, with MCA pushing for 50%.
The second Test between India and New Zealand is set to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from Friday. While fans would be allowed to catch all the action at the venue, it will not have a total capacity, unlike some other stadiums across the country. As per PTI, the accommodation was Wankhede would be limited to 25%.
The venue has a capacity of 30,000. However, a capacity reduction to 25% would see only 7,500 spectators being allowed inside the stadium. Nonetheless, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is pushing for a 50% capacity limit. An MCA official stated that the current 25% cap had been placed by the chief secretary of the Maharashtra government.
Interestingly, it would be the first Test at Wankhede since December 2016. Mumbai has been deprived of proper international cricket action in the past couple of years, owing to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, while Maharashtra happened to be the worst-hit state during this time. The opening Test is being held at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, with a 100% capacity limit.
It is presumed that the Maharashtra government is taking the precaution, keeping in mind the new COVID variant in South Africa. Although India has yet to report its first case regarding the new variant, the Maharashtra government intends to play safe beforehand. The latest outbreak in SA has also put India's upcoming tour to Protea from December 17 under the cloud, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) awaiting a decision from the Indian government before proceeding with the tour.