Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium to be renamed as Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) on Tuesday decided to rename the century-old cricket stadium in the city – Feroz Shah Kotla Ground – after former Union minister Arun Jaitley, who recently passed away following a prolonged illness. The BJP leader, who died just days after another former Union minister Sushma Swaraj, was 66 and had a close relationship with cricket administration. He had served as the president of the DDCA and also as the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

The renaming ceremony will be held at a function on September 12. It is on the same occasion that a stand at the venue will be named after current India captain Virat Kohli, a local cricketer, as it was announced earlier. Kohli is currently leading the Indian side in the West Indies and recently matched Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the most successful captain for his country in the longer format.

The function will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and will be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.

News Alert: Kotla to be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The renaming of Delhi’s famous cricket venue as Arun Jaitley Stadium will take place on September 12 at a function where a Stand of the ground will be named after India captain Virat Kohli.

— DDCA (@delhi_cricket) August 27, 2019

DDCA president Rajat Sharma praises Jaitley

DDCA president Rajat Sharma spoke on the renaming initiative saying that it was because of Jaitley’s support and encouragement that players like Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Rishabh Pant and many others could make the country proud, the Tribune reported.

It is Jaitley who is credited for renovating the stadium, one of the oldest in India, into a modern venue during his stint as the president of the DDCA. In less than two years after becoming a member of the DDCA and a few months since he became a Union minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government in 1999, Jaitley was appointed as the president of the body in which he served for 14 years.

The DDCA had also faced allegations of corruption and financial irregularities during Jaitley’s tenure as the president. In August 2009, a number of star cricketers from Delhi who represented India internationally threatened to quit the stateside over alleged nepotism and corruption. The current ruling party of Delhi – Aam Aadmi Party – accused Jaitley of corruption which the latter had denied and defended his achievements as the president of the DDCA.

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