Kolkata likely to host India's ODI against Sri Lanka

Kolkata's Eden Gardens is likely to host the first of the four-match series between India and Sri Lanka on February 8 after it was found that Pune, originally meant to host the match, was facing problems.

The Indian board (BCCI) requested the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to replace Pune as the venue with Eden Gardens as according the board's rotation policy Kolkata is scheduled to host a match after Pune. Interestingly the request came a day after the CAB elected Prasun Mukherjee, the Kolkata Police Commissioner, as its new president following the resignation of Jagmohan Dalmiya who was banned for life by the BCCI for misuse of funds.

Dalmiya and the current BCCI administration had been on opposite sides at the last board elections in which Sharad Pawar, the current president of the BCCI, came to power. The BCCI stopped all subsidies and grants to the CAB after Dalmiya's alleged misappropriation of funds.

Mukherjee confirmed that Shashank Manohar, the BCCI vice-president, had asked the CAB whether they were prepared to host the match and that the CAB had requested the board to forward a formal offer in this regard. "Then we can take a decision," Mukherjee told PTI. "Time is too short. If we indeed host the match here, then we have to start work on a war footing," he said. The CAB members met soon after the BCCI forwarded the offer and the association has called for a meeting of its working committee on January 27.

Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, added: "As far as I know, the Maharashtra Cricket Association were having some problems with the local corporation, to which the ground belongs. Maybe that has forced the BCCI to ask for a venue change."

Eden Gardens last hosted an ODI in November 2005 when South Africa beat India by 10 wickets.