Mumbai and Hyderabad swap dates of India's first T20I vs Windies

Mumbai: The BCCI on Friday has swapped the dates of India's T20 Internationals against West Indies with Mumbai hosting the third game on December 11 and the December 6 opener going to Hyderabad.

The Mumbai Police has expressed inability to provide security as the city would be on a high alert on December 6, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition and also the "Mahaparinirvan Din" of B R Ambedkar.

On that day, lakhs of Ambedkar followers throng the Chaityabhumi, his memorial in Dadar.

"The BCCI has agreed to swap the dates of the Mumbai (December 6) and Hyderabad (December 11) games. We were able to carry out the swap after HCA president Mohammed Azharuddin agreed," a senior Mumbai Cricket Association official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Another source said that HCA President and former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin played an important role in this swap else the Mumbai Cricket Association was set to lose the match.

A senior police official told PTI that MCA officials met one of the top cop and apprised him of the development.

Now with the change, the series opener of the three-match T20 series would be played in Hyderabad, while the last match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium.

Also, last time MCA had hosted an international match was against Sri Lanka, a T20 in December 2017.

Last year, due to administrative issues in the MCA, the BCCI had shifted the ODI against West Indies from Wankhede Stadium in south Mumbai to the nearby picturesque Brabourne Stadium, which is managed by the Cricket Club of India.