India vs New Zealand: 25 per cent crowd capacity allowed for Mumbai Test

The Wankhede Stadium - which has a capacity of around 33,000 - will be hosting a Test match after five years and will now see 25 per cent crowd capacity for the second IND v NZ Test.

A couple of weeks ago, Sportstar was the first publication to report about the BCCI planning to allow fans to the stadiums, with the Board president Sourav Ganguly stating that they were hopeful of having a 'full attendance'.

The Maharashtra government has allowed 25 per cent crowd capacity for the second Test between India and New Zealand, to be held at the Wankhede Stadium between December 3 and 7.

The Mumbai Cricket Association had earlier sought clarity from the state government on the crowd capacity for the Test, and on Saturday, the department of Revenue and Forest, Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation of the Maharashtra government issued an order which stated that in "the case of open to sky spaces, for any events or gatherings, people upto 25% of space capacity will be allowed.

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Concerned DDMA shall have authority to decide the capacity in case of such locations of gatherings or events, if not declared formally (like stadiums).

"The order also specified that the players, officials, present at the venue will have to be fully vaccinated. For the crowd, wearing a mask is compulsory, along with maintaining social distancing.

The Wankhede Stadium - which has a capacity of around 33,000 - will be hosting a Test match after five years. In December 2019, it hosted its last international fixture when India played the West Indies in a limited-overs series.

MCA officials are hopeful of receiving permission from the government to allow 50 percent attendance for the second Test.