'Never take away a World Cup final from...’: Aaditya Thackeray to BCCI after venue shift

After a sea of fans emerged in Mumbai to greet Team India's homecoming, Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Friday took to X to criticise the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not hosting ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in Mumbai and instead choosing Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. for the same.

"Yesterday’s celebration in Mumbai is also a strong message to the BCCI… Never take away a World Cup final from Mumbai!," Aaditya Thackeray wrote in a post on X.

Aaditya's criticism of the BCCI comes a day after a massive crowd in Mumbai welcomed the Indian cricket team as champions of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2024 during a victory parade on Thursday.

Fans stayed at Wankhede Stadium for hours to greet the T20 Indian cricket team. Wankhede has hosted many historic cricket events, including India’s first T20 World Cup victory in 2007 under MS Dhoni, the 2011 Cricket World Cup win on home soil, and Sachin Tendulkar’s emotional farewell in 2013.

Thackeray had earlier slammed the BJP for shifting opportunities and events from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. In an interview with the Hindustan Times during the May Lok Sabha elections, Aaditya mentioned that Maharashtra has faced significant losses due to the relocation of industries and projects to Gujarat.

These include the International Finance Center, Vedanta Foxconn, a bulk drugs park, and a medical devices park. He also pointed out that the World Cup final, which was expected to be held in Mumbai, was instead moved to Ahmedabad.