NEW DELHI: New Delhi could be stripped of its status as one of the hosts for the World Twenty20 unless it receives safety clearances in a matter of days, India’s cricket board said on Friday.

The Feroz Shah Kotla ground is scheduled to host four matches in the event starting on March 8, including a semi-final on March 30.

But local officials have so far refused to issue the stadium “no-objection certificates” which are a prerequisite for any match, as part of a dispute about the authorisation of structural additions.

A report in The Hindustan Times on Friday said that the stadium had already been scratched off the tournament schedule by the ICC, which is overseeing the event.

Anurag Thakur, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said no final decision had been taken but added that alternative hosts would be announced next week if there is no resolution to the dispute.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2016