In a heartfelt gesture, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh each for the groundsmen and curators of the regular ten venues of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. This announcement, made on Monday, highlights the invaluable contributions of these "unsung heroes" who have ensured top-notch pitches throughout the season.
The ten regular IPL venues include Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium, Kolkata's Eden Gardens, Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, Bengaluru's M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Lucknow's Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, and Chandigarh's Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.
In addition to these, three additional venues—Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Dharamsala—were also acknowledged. Guwahati served as the second home venue for the Rajasthan Royals, Visakhapatnam hosted the Delhi Capitals' first leg of home matches, and Dharamsala was where the Punjab Kings played their last two home games. Groundsmen and curators at these venues will receive Rs 10 lakh each.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah expressed his gratitude on social media platform X, stating, "The unsung heroes of our successful T20 season are the incredible ground staff who worked tirelessly to provide brilliant pitches, even in difficult weather conditions. As a token of our appreciation, the groundsmen and curators at the 10 regular IPL venues will receive INR 25 lakhs each, and the same at the 3 additional venues will get INR 10 lakhs each. Thank you for your dedication and hard work!"
The IPL 2024 season concluded on Sunday in Chennai, with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clinching their third title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad with an eight-wicket victory. Shah also extended his congratulations to KKR and their captain Shreyas Iyer for their consistent performance throughout the tournament.
"Congratulations to the @KKRiders for clinching the 2024 #TATAIPL! The team showed great consistency throughout the tournament and kudos to @ShreyasIyer15 for leading the side brilliantly. Once again, thank you to the fans for coming out in big numbers and for making this yet another successful season!" he added.
The acknowledgment and reward for the ground staff reflect the BCCI's recognition of the crucial role they play in ensuring the success of the IPL, providing high-quality pitches and maintaining the venues despite challenging weather conditions.
