Hyderabad Cricket Association avoided embarrassment after a State Government issued a directive to the Electricity Board officials to restore the power supply which was disconnected on the eve of the IPL fixture between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday.
According to a senior HCA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, HCA found itself in a sticky situation when the power supply was cut off midway through the pre-match training sessions ahead of the SRH vs CSK fixture. The session went ahead on generator back-up.
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“Yes, it was the State Government which saved the day (or rather the night) when they instructed the Electricity Board to ensure that the IPL match goes on as scheduled,” the official said. “This is not the first time the Board had disconnected the power supply due to the HCA not paying the pending dues (Rs 1.67 crores as mentioned in the latest notice issued to the HCA on February 20). We are determined to ensure this situation doesn’t arise in the future again,” he said.
The official also hinted that the “extreme move” by the Electricity Board may be also because HCA was unwilling to meet the unreasonable demand for match tickets, above and beyond the genuine issue of non-payment of dues.
The official also said that the Telangana State Government deemed that it would reflect badly if a big fixture in the IPL featuring the biggest franchises and former India captain M.S. Dhoni would bring disrepute to the board which prompted the initiative from its part to resolve the issue. The HCA has also been instructured to clear its dues with the Electricity Board.
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