Why Ahmedabad is probably the sports capital of India? | Bombay Sports Stock Exchange
The SMS Stadium was renovated in 2006, but there have been no improvements since then, so it feels frozen in time despite its constant use for IPL matches. Concerns remain whether its infrastructure and safety measures, including evacuation norms and operational preparedness, are fully adequate to handle the large crowds expected in modern IPL games. The venue last hosted a T20I on 17 November 2021 and it has been over a decade since the last ODI on 16 October 2013.The Royals were found to have highlighted critical lapses in stadium infrastructure. “From civic work to emergency evacuation, there are serious public safety issues and Royals have communicated everything to the RSSC, BCCI and IPL governing council,” the source added.Since June last year, the franchise has repeatedly alerted the RSSC, BCCI and IPL authorities regarding public safety – particularly life safety, structural integrity and compliance with the law – across all engineering and operational areas in accordance with applicable regulations and standards.With the RCA continuing to be defunct, the Royals through their letter to the BCCI sought the governing body’s guidance and their approval. The last time Royals were forced to shift their home matches from Jaipur was during the 2014 and 2015 IPL seasons. This was due to RCA’s notorious management volatility, internal friction and leadership deadlocks.RCA in attenuationThe governance of the RCA has been in a downward spiral, operating without an elected body under a series of ad hoc committees for almost two years. While the IPL board had allowed Jaipur to host the games in previous years, it issued a stark warning: if the RCA does not hold elections, the city will lose its IPL 2026 fixtures.Despite the ultimatum, RCA remains mired in internal conflict. The management vacuum also halted development of RCA’s own stadium, which is to be the third largest in the world. The previous regime under Vaibhav Gehlot secured a grant of Rs 100 cr from the BCCI in 2023, but the construction was abandoned after his resignation and ad hoc takeover. A dedicated cricket stadium remains the only long-term solution as the SMS multi-purpose stadium is outdated.