The fourth T20I match between India and South Africa was abandoned due to heavy fog at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (BRSABV) Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Match officials conducted six inspections before deciding to abandon the game at 9:30 pm, with on-field umpires K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Rohan Pandit, along with reserve umpire J.R. Madanagopal, deeming conditions unfit for play due to poor visibility.
The cancellation sparked anger among fans who had purchased tickets to watch the match. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said the responsibility of refunds lay with the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), the host association for the fixture.
As per the BCCI’s refund policy, spectators are eligible for reimbursement (minus processing fees) if a match is cancelled or abandoned before a single ball is bowled.
“That is under the domain of the state cricket association, which is the UPCA. Everything related to ticketing is handled by the state association, as the BCCI only grants hosting rights,” Saikia told IANS on Thursday.
Prem Manohar Gupta, the Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), said that the arrangements are being made for the refund process commencing from Friday.
“The ticket refund process will start from tomorrow morning. Those who purchased online will be refunded online. Only the service charges will be deducted. Rest, all the money will be refunded.
“For refunding those who purchased offline, we are going to set up booths at the Ekana Stadium. The process of refund will start from there, and an advertisement for the same will be put in the newspapers. All the money will be refunded to all spectators,” said Gupta to IANS on Thursday.
India currently leads the five-match series 2–1, with the fifth and final T20I scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on December 19. A win would give India their 14th consecutive T20I series victory, while a defeat would result in a drawn series.
During the abandoned match, India’s seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a face mask on the field, underlining the severity of the fog and hazardous air quality conditions.
The match was the first T20 International hosted in Lucknow, and its abandonment due to fog and pollution brought renewed scrutiny over the scheduling of international fixtures in North India during winter. Addressing the concerns, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla said the board would review venue scheduling and consider shifting fixtures to southern or western India, where weather conditions are more suitable.
Saikia, however, described the Lucknow washout as an exceptional situation, stating that the BCCI has already taken steps to mitigate winter weather disruptions.
“When we saw major fog disturbances in north India during January, we restructured our domestic cricket calendar. That’s why there is a significant gap between Ranji Trophy matches in north India,” Saikia said.
“From last year onwards, no matches are scheduled in north India during the first part of January. This incident in Lucknow was due to exceptional weather conditions. We had three matches in north India—Chandigarh, Dharamshala and Lucknow—scheduled in the same window,” he added.
Saikia further noted that venues have been shifted in the past due to weather or logistical issues, but the early arrival of dense fog, nearly two weeks ahead of its usual January onset was unexpected, leaving organisers with little time to react.