On Thursday, the players and organisers of the Ajuba Khatoon Cricket Tournament were taken by surprise when the district administration officials arrived all of a sudden at the stadium around 10.00 am with the intention of constructing a helipad right “on the pitch”.

Talking to The Indian Express, honorary secretary CAL KM Khan said, “The officials wanted the helipad to be made right on the pitch but we resented the move. We expressed our inability to have the ground vacated by players as the match was in progress. When the match was over, they constructed the same a few meters away from the wicket.” “I have no knowledge about the ‘neta’ for whom the helipad is being constructed but one thing that I would like to say as a sportsperson is that construction of helipads for political purpose like arrival of VIPs and organisation of oath-taking ceremonies at stadia should be stopped once and for all. The players are the real sufferers due to such moves,” he added.