AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) on Tuesday denied reports suggesting that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) canceled their practice session before the IPL 2024 Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals due to security reasons.
On Monday night, Gujarat Police arrested four men at Ahmedabad airport on suspicion of terror activities. The police reportedly recovered arms, suspicious videos, and text messages from the suspects’ hideout, prompting a Bengali daily to report that RCB canceled their practice session due to a potential threat to Virat Kohli’s security. However, the GCA clarified that RCB canceled their session due to the prevailing heatwave in the city.
“There was no terror threat. We had arranged for both Rajasthan Royals and RCB to practice at the Gujarat College ground. RCB was scheduled to practice from 2 to 5 PM but later changed it to 3 to 6 PM since there’s good light till 6:30 PM in Ahmedabad during the summer. However, Rajasthan Royals practiced from 3:30 to 6:30 PM with their full squad. RCB skipped their practice session due to the heatwave,” explained Anil Patel, secretary of the GCA, to NOG.
“We offered RCB the option to use indoor practice facilities at the Gujarat College ground or the Narendra Modi Stadium, but they chose not to practice because of the heatwave,” Patel added.
There was speculation that the pre-match press conference before the Eliminator was canceled due to the terror threat, but a BCCI source dismissed this claim. “There was never a presser scheduled before this match, as the first qualifier between Kolkata Knight Riders and Hyderabad Sunrisers was being played yesterday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. It’s also not unusual for teams to skip practice sessions at this late stage of the tournament to stay fresh after a long campaign,” the source said.
RCB has made a remarkable comeback, winning six consecutive matches to secure a spot in the playoffs. They defeated Chennai Super Kings in their last match, knocking the five-time champions out of the tournament.
