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Duleep Trophy: High security cover for players in Anantapur venue, hotels

ANANTAPUR: Top cricketers from the country participating in the Duleep Trophy matches would be spending about 17 days in Anantapur, giving the police machinery a tough time to guard their security.

Except for a few top-level Indian cricketers, a majority of the players from the Indian Cricket team will be participating in the matches at the Anantapur cricket grounds of the RDT Stadium in Ananta Sports Village.

The Sports Village is turned into a high security zone and additional forces have been posted for security. The surroundings of the two-star hotels at Raju Road and Ganesh Circle in the heart of the city and en route to RDT stadium -- a 4km distance – have also been made a high security zone.

While Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and others would participate in the first match at Chinna Swamy stadium in Bangalore from Sept 5, other players from the Indian Cricket team will be participating in the matches on the Anantapur cricket ground.

Anantapur SP Jagadish said security will be beefed up at the RDT stadium and also at the star hotels where the players stay.

Andhra Cricket Association sources said two star-hotels were booked for the players while another hotel in Gooty road will be used for the umpires and other connected staff. The remaining staff would be accommodated at RDT stadium guest houses.

The SP said laptops, cameras, match boxes, batteries, cirags, lighters and sharp metals are not allowed inside the stadium.

Special teams of the BCCI would take the responsibility of reaching players to the stadium from hotels. BCCI operations manager Amith Siddeswar would take steps for the security of players.

There has been a huge demand for passes. The organisers said 10,000 passes were issued at RDT stadium. However, schools and colleges have been asked to bring students in uniforms after obtaining passes for all days except the day of launch of the Duleep Trophy events.


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