The Abu Dhabi cricket stadium's Indian chief curator, Mohan Singh, was found dead in his room on Sunday hours before the T20 World Cup game between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. According to UAE Cricket sources, the 45-year-old, who hailed from Uttarakhand, was suffering from depression and was found hanging in his room, hours after inspecting the pitch for the clash that New Zealand won by eight wickets to enter the semifinals. Both Abu Dhabi Cricket and the International Cricket Council paid tributes to him but did not reveal the cause of death. He is survived by his wife and daughter who will be reaching Abu Dhabi soon.
“It is with great sadness that Abu Dhabi Cricket announces that Head Curator, Mohan Singh, has passed away today. Mohan has been with Abu Dhabi Cricket for 15 years and has played a pivotal role in all of the venue’s success during that time. “Sunday’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super 12 game between New Zealand and Afghanistan went ahead as scheduled, with the support of Mohan’s family and our groundstaff. Tributes to Mohan and his incredible achievements will be honoured in the coming days. Our thoughts are with Mohan’s family and we ask for media to respect their privacy at this tragic time,” their statement on Twitter read. International Cricket Council (ICC) also released the statement soon after the match and also sent its condolences to Mohan Singh’s family. The cricketing body also confirmed that the game only happened after the groundstaff and Mohan’s family gave consent for it. “The International Cricket Council has sent its condolences to the family of Mohan Singh, the curator at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi who passed away earlier today. At the request of Abu Dhabi Cricket, the ground staff and Mohan’s family, game between New Zealand and Afghanistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 went ahead,” the ICC statement read. An ICC spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, Abu Dhabi Cricket and everyone connected with the event. ”Mohan worked extensively with former BCCI chief curator Daljit Singh in Mohali before moving to the UAE in the early 2000s. Daljit, who served Indian cricket for 22 years.
