Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): The water coming to Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium had high salt content. Due to this, fewer runs were scored in the matches held here. There was a lot of uproar due to low scores in international and Indian Premier League matches. After the IPL, the pitch has been improved and now the stadium administration claims that runs will be over 300 per innings.
With complete research, the renovation of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium pitch started before the 2023 World Cup. The facts that came to light during this renovation were shocking. It was found that the salt in the water used to prepare the pitch was more than the standards. Due to the reaction, the wicket started helping the bowlers and became difficult for the batters.
The ground staff has now claimed that they have improved the. Stadium director Uday Sinha said that now a competitive pitch is on offer. "The errors that were there have been removed. A score of 300 runs will be made in every match," he claimed. Due to a chemical reaction caused by the mixing of salt in water, runs were not scored on the pitch during the cash-rich Indian Premier League. There was more salt in the water at Atal Bihari Vajpayee 'Ekana' Stadium.
In a match played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Supergiants in April-May, the hosts lost the match after scoring 125 runs. The T20 between India and New Zealand before the IPL was a low-scoring affair. It was said continuously that the pitch of Ekana is not suitable for batters due to the use of black soil.
The BCCI also formed a committee in this regard. The old curator was also removed after the low score between New Zealand and India. Due to all this effort, five World Cup matches were awarded to Ekana Stadium.