IND vs ENG 2nd ODI: The Odisha government has demanded an explanation from Barabati Stadium officials regarding the floodlight failure that disrupted the second ODI match of the England tour of India 2025.
The floodlight failure has disrupted India’s chase which occured in the seventh over of the innings. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were trying to build momentum in the pursuit of a 305-run chase.
In a sublime touch, Rohit had already scored one fours and three sixes with his aggressive batting approach.
However, his flow was unexpectedly cut short when one of the light towers at the stadium malfunctioned, plunging a section of the field into partial darkness.
According to the government, the Odisha Cricket Association has to send a proper reply with the findings within 10 days.
“During the 2nd One Day International (ODI) cricket match between India and England on 9th February 2025 at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, one floodlight was off, and the match was disrupted.”
“This incident led to about 30 minutes suspension of the match, causing inconvenience to players and spectators,” Government of Odisha’s letter said.
“Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) is hereby directed to submit a detailed explanation for the cause of the disruption and identify the persons/ agencies who were responsible for such lapses and outline the measures taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
“The findings must be submitted within 10 days upon receipt of this letter,” it further said.
The sudden disruption has left players, officials and fans frustrated. After a discussion with the umpires, both teams opted to leave the field until the issue was resolved.
With a Barabati Stadium hosting its first ODI in six years, the incident has raised concerns over infrastructure preparedness. The Odisha government’s intervention signals a push for accountability, ensuring such disruptions do not occur in future high profile matches.
Officials now awaits a comprehensive response from stadium officials detailing the cause of the failures and the measures taken to address it.
OCA secretary Sanjay Behara, said each floodlight tower was attached with two generators.
“When one generator malfunctioned, we put the second one in service. But it required some time to move the generator as the players’ vehicle was parked in between the tower and the second generator,” Behera told reporters.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Barabati-Cuttack Sofia Firdous, who was present at the stadium, condemned the glitch for which the international match was disrupted for some time.
