No World Series Hockey in Mumbai?

With little progress made on refurbishing the Mahindra Stadium by the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA), the city may miss out on hosting the inaugural edition of the World Series Hockey (WSH), sources said.

The WSH officials have shortlisted Pune and Ranchi as the replacement venues for Mumbai team matches, if the stadium is not ready by the end of November. The first edition of WSH is scheduled to begin on December 15. The tournament will be played in eight cities on a home-and-away basis, and boasts of several national and international stars.

With a worn-out turf that cannot be used even for local league matches, shoddy dressing rooms, no flood lights and poor conditions in the stands, the Mahindra Stadium has been in a sorry state for almost five years. Sources said that the organisers are unhappy that MHA officials have made ‘no effort’ to improve the infrastructure despite Mumbai being named as one of the venues several months ago.

“It is known that the matches cannot be held there in its present condition. The stadium has been used for weddings and other such non-sporting events.

“We have requested MHA many times but they have shown little intent to improve the conditions. We will wait for some more time before taking a final decision but Pune and Ranchi are our two options,” a WSH official said.

It is learnt that lethargy in getting things done has once again created a rift between the committee, as the sportspersons in the MHA board getting upset with the attitude shown by the other officials, including MHA president Mangha Singh Bakshi. It must be recalled that the MHA committee was almost dissolved earlier this year due to the differences between the two factions.

The MHA officials, however, said they are awaiting the arrival of the artificial turf from Australia. “We are aware of that (replacement venues). However, we are expecting the new turf to arrive by September 30. Once it comes, we will take a month to install it.

“Since the rains have reduced, we will also be starting the civil work soon. So if things go on schedule now, then we will have the facility improved by the end of November,” honorary secretary, MHA, Gurbax Singh Grewal said.

The MHA has, however, missed several deadlines in the past and whether things go as per schedule this time round remains to be seen.