The 4th match of the India vs Australia T20 International series is set to begin at 7 PM IST on Friday (December 1) at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur. But reports are floating in that most parts of the stadium have active electricity due to non-payment of bills since 2009.According to the NDTV report, Raipur Stadium has an outstanding bill of Rs 3.16 crore and the electricity connection was cut 5 years ago in 2018. At the request of the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Association, a temporary connection was installed in the stands and corporate boxes only.
In order to host the match, the Chattisgarh Association has been using generators for hosting various matches at the stadium in past years. The same measures will be taken today as well. The main reason behind the non-payment of electricity bills is the in fighting between the Public Works Department, which maintains the Raipur Stadium, and the Sports Department, which is responsible for all other expenses. Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium has hosted only one international match, while India hosted New Zealand for an ODI match. The match ended quite early as New Zealand were bundled out for a mere 108 runs. India chased the target in 21 overs, winning the match by eight wickets with 179 balls remaining. India is currently leading the five-match T20 series 2-1.
