Last Updated:
Shashi Tharoor and Rajeev Shukla debated cricket match scheduling in Parliament after a Lucknow T20I was called off on account of fog.

Shashi Tharoor (left) and Rajeev Shukla (PTI Photo)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla were involved in a pointed exchange in Parliament on Thursday over the scheduling of cricket matches in North India throughout the peak winter season. The discussion followed the abandonment of the India vs South Africa 4th T20I in Lucknow on Wednesday, which was called off without toss on account of “excessive fog”.
Shukla said greater care was required while scheduling matches in December and January.
“There must be more attention to scheduling matches between December 15 and January 15,” he said, referring to recurring weather-related disruptions during this era.
In response, Tharoor suggested that January fixtures be shifted to Kerala, where conditions are more favourable. Shukla, nonetheless, maintained that the difficulty was not region-specific and identified that Kerala already hosts matches under the BCCI’s rotation policy.
“It’s not about Kerala. There must be more attention to scheduling matches between December 15 and January 15. Kerala gets matches anyway under the rotation policy,” he said.
When Tharoor reiterated his point concerning the winter window, Shukla quipped, “We’ll shift all matches to Kerala.”
December 18, 2025, 13:22 IST
Read More

