‘Unplanned Bollywood shoot’: Sourav Ganguly biopic shoot leads to over Rs 6 crore fine for English club

The shooting of the biopic of former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has landed the Counry club in financial trouble. Leicestershire were handed a 27-point penalty and fined £5,000 (nearly Rs 6.43 lakh) after being found guilty of an on-field offense during a County Championship game against Glamorgan in August. The decision has left the club in a difficult position as they fight to avoid relegation from the First Division.The Cricket Discipline Panel upheld the charges after the Grace Road pitch was rated as “poor” during Leicestershire’s 42-run win over Glamorgan from August 20-23.The club forfeited the 19 points they had earned from the match and received another eight-point deduction. A further eight points were suspended until the end of the 2027 season.

Filming from Bollywood quoted by Land Commissioner

Leicestershire’s main grounder Callum Lewin said several factors affected his preparations for the match, including the hot weather and the unscheduled shooting of a Bollywood film, Ganguly’s biopic, at the ground four days before the match.“It’s a used pitch this time. We had two T20s on it 10 weeks ago. There were a lot of circumstances leading up to the game that I just couldn’t control, like the weather was 35 degrees,” Lewin told Cricket Regulator.“Four days before we also had an unscheduled Bollywood shoot (vs Glamorgan match) and I wasn’t allowed to work on the pitch. I wasn’t allowed to cover it or anything.”However, the jury rejected the shooting as a mitigating factor, saying that the shooting only lasted one day. The pitch later caused uneven bounce due to moving cracks, with match referee Ian Ramage noting 43 examples in his report.The panel concluded that Leicestershire had not deliberately prepared the wrong pitch, but said the club’s approach to its preparation was “unreasonable”.

The club is considering its options

Leicestershire now have 10 working days to appeal the decision. The club said it would review the verdict before deciding what to do next.“The club notes the decision of the Cricket Disciplinary Panel to impose an eight-point deduction, an additional eight-point deduction suspended until the end of the 2027 season and a £5,000 financial penalty.“After receiving the panel’s decision, the club is reviewing its position and considering all available options,” the club said in a statement.Leicestershire, who had 89 points from 12 matches, now need a strong result against Hampshire in their ongoing Division One fixture to boost their chances of staying in the top flight.