Club cricket is back on the maidan after a month of arguments about the outfield. A new drainage cut along the western side is meant to take the water that used to sit on a length just short of a good ball.
Sunday matches will start an hour later so the groundsman can walk the square before the toss. Captains have agreed that a delayed toss is better than a replay demanded at tea, which ruined two fixtures last monsoon.
What happens next
The clubs are sharing the cost of the cut. The municipal grant covered the pipe. It did not cover the week of labour when the only people available were the players themselves, which is who did the work.
A league meeting banned metal spikes on the centre wicket for the rest of the season. The vote was not close. Everyone has seen the hole a single bowler’s follow-through left in August.
Taj Today will update this report if the official numbers or the timetable change. Related coverage stays on the Sports page.
