Bollywood filming event cited as factor in Leicestershire cricket pitch controversy
Filming for Bollywood biopic ‘Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story’ has been cited as one of the factors surrounding the pitch controversy at Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
The Rajkummar Rao-starrer was filmed at Grace Road four days before Leicestershire’s County Championship fixture against Glamorgan in August. The club was subsequently handed a 27-point deduction and £5,000 fine after the Cricket Discipline Panel found it had breached pitch regulations.
Leicestershire head groundsman Callum Lewin cited the film shoot when explaining the challenges faced in preparing the surface.
“It’s a used pitch this time around. We had two T20s on it 10 weeks ago. There were a lot of circumstances leading up to the game that were just out of my control, such as the weather was 35 degrees.
“We also had an unscheduled Bollywood filming event four days before (the match against Glamorgan), and I wasn’t allowed to work on the pitch. I wasn’t allowed to cover it or anything,” Lewin said.
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The panel, however, did not accept the filming as sufficient mitigation, stating that “risk management should have envisaged the need to incorporate protection of the pitch during the Bollywood event.”
The pitch produced 43 instances of uneven bounce during the match, with Leicestershire ultimately winning by 42 runs. The disciplinary action removed the 19 points earned from the victory, with a further eight points imposed as a penalty.
Leicestershire has until 29 September to appeal the decision.
‘Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story’, starring Rao as the former India captain, is scheduled for theatrical release in May 2027.
