New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to pay the actual cost for the security cover provided by the police during the warm-up match between India A and England XI at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. As a result of this, fans will be allowed free entry to watch Captain Cool's final match as captain.
According to a report in The Indian Express, a demand of Rs 60 lakhs was made by Mumbai Police to provide security – a move which would have deprived the fans of watching Dhoni play in front of their eyes for one final time as Indian captain.
A Cricket Club of India official told ESPNcricinfo that since the west stand was undergoing renovation, entry in the much-awaited match for the fans would be restricted to the north and east stands, which can accommodate around 10,000 fans.
"There were only 40 policepersons who were set to be deployed initially," the official said. "There are normally hardly 200-300 people for warm-up matches, but with Dhoni [possibly] playing his last match as a captain, the game has become high profile. There will be a bigger crowd now. So, more police personnel will have to be deployed; there will be around 300 policepersons now.
It was also said that if the stands were filled by 3 pm, an hour and a half after the start of the game, the gates will be closed.
