The India-Afghanistan first T20I will be held as scheduled at Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 13, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) said on Thursday, despite a request from Delhi Traffic Police to reschedule the match because of arrangements for the BRICS Summit.
The match is expected to attract between 25,000 and 35,000 spectators to central Delhi. It will take place on the final day of the September 12-13 summit, when traffic restrictions, diversions and security arrangements for foreign delegates and visiting dignitaries are also expected to remain in force.
The DDCA said it had received assurances from Delhi Traffic Police that the necessary support and arrangements would be provided. “India–Afghanistan 1st T20I on 13 September at Arun Jaitley Stadium will go ahead as scheduled,” the association said in a post on X. “Following a meeting with Delhi Traffic Police, DDCA has been assured of all necessary support and arrangements. No postponement,” it added.
Earlier on Thursday, the Delhi Traffic Police had written to the DDCA asking it to consider postponing or rescheduling the match until the BRICS Summit-related traffic operations were completed. In a September 9 letter to the DDCA secretary, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Central Range, cited the expected movement of foreign delegates, dignitaries and VVIPs.
The letter said the summit would require extensive deployment for VVIP and VIP route regulation, traffic diversions, route clearance and the movement of security convoys. The police said the cricket match would add to the operational challenge because of the expected spectator turnout and existing traffic pressure near the stadium.
The areas identified as potential pressure points include DDU Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Minto Road, Kamla Market and adjoining roads. The traffic police also referred to match-related traffic and parking around Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Mata Sundari College, Rajghat and Bal Bhawan, saying that vehicle and pedestrian movement could reduce available carriageway.
According to the police letter, simultaneous arrangements for the summit and the match could put pressure on available personnel and complicate traffic diversion, parking management, crowd regulation, emergency access and route clearance. The entire Delhi Traffic Police is expected to be deployed extensively for summit-related traffic regulation and VIP movements.
The DDCA’s decision means Delhi will now manage the movement of foreign delegations and thousands of cricket spectators on the same day. The first match is the opening game of a three-match T20I series in Delhi, with the remaining fixtures scheduled for September 15 and 17.
The traffic police had said that postponing the September 13 game would help facilitate the movement of foreign delegates, VVIPs and the general public, while allowing better deployment of personnel during the summit. Following the meeting between the association and traffic authorities, however, the DDCA has ruled out postponement and confirmed that the match will proceed on September 13.
