IPL 2019: Delhi Capitals fans not allowed to witness team’s practice games
Delhi players were disappointed as the fans weren't allowed to turn up.
Security has remained a top agenda for the franchises and organisers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year, particularly because the general elections are around the corner. The two events – both big – will take place parallelly and understandably, the organisers of the sporting event have a concern over the security aspect.
Recently, one had a glimpse of the security issue at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground in Delhi where the local franchise, Delhi Capitals played a couple of practice games but in front of empty stands as the fans were not allowed to enter the stadium reportedly because the team had no security clearance from the police. The incident was in stark contrast with that in Chennai where almost 12,000 fans had turned up to see an intra-squad practice game of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players.
The Capitals though were disappointed that their fans were not allowed in. “We too would have loved to see the fans to come in and watch the games as this is a time when the players are relaxed and they even look to interact with the fans. But the problem was lack of clearance from the police. Security is of paramount importance and that can’t be sacrificed at any cost.
DC CEO wants to build a fan base
“But in the future, we will look to work this out because fans make the players who they are and we as a franchise also wish to create a loyal fan base like other teams,” India Today cited reports as quoting a Delhi Capitals official as saying. Delhi Capitals’ CEO Dhiraj Malhotra also said how the team is looking to building up a fan base like some of the other franchises in the tournament.
“It is the first season for us (JSW has become co-owners this season) and the biggest thing is to build a big fan base. There is so much diversity that it is very difficult to create that feeling of belonging for the team. We do wish to do very well and we have the team to do well. We are stressing on performance and building a fan base. We want the people of Delhi to feel that this is their team,” Malhotra said.
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