As the T20I series between India and South Africa has completed on Thursday, both the teams are preparing for their upcoming ODI series which starts on October 11th, 2015. The first ODI is set to take place at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. But the twist is that the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is yet to officially book it. As there are some formalities to be done to book a stadium, they were not done.

Booking the stadium involves depositing a fee of Rs. 15 Lakh before the match – a compulsory pre-requisite mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), that the UPCA had signed with the state government. The regional Sports Officer has sent a letter to the UPCA, asking it to complete the formalities soon.

“They (UPCA) have not even submitted a written application for booking the ground. We have requested them to complete the formalities,” an official said. According to the reports, UPCA is supposed to deposit Rs. 1 crore annually against the lease and also pay the fee at the time of the match as per the MoU. But UP Cricket Association neither deposited the lease money nor the booking fee.

According to the reports, it has been alleged that UPCA is avoiding the payment since the MoU was signed in 2015. As the money had to pay to the state revenue department, UPCA had still been writing the letter asking for the account details. As per the agreement, around half of the seats in the stadium had to be kept reserved for sports department and issue the match tickets accordingly.

It has become two years since the last International match was played. In this situation, the state government has the right to lock the stadium as per the MoU terms and conditions. Both the teams are due to arrive in Kanpur on Friday evening. They are scheduled to play the first ODI at the renovated Green Park stadium after two years.