Lucknow IPL stadium to get two pitch specialists after Hardik Pandya criticism

The Ekana Stadium is home to the Lucknow Super Giants and will host matches during this year's IPL, but was recently criticised for a substandard pitch during the ongoing T20I series between India and New Zealand.

"We are going to appoint two specialists who will take care of the stadium. One will be an expert on the pitch and another will be a professional on the outfield. We are taking required permissions from other state associations to hire their services," said UPCA chief executive officer Ankit Chatterjee.

"We want the playing conditions to be foolproof and we don't want to take any chances for the IPL. The franchise also practises a lot at the ground and they need to have home advantage and we will make sure everything is in place for the IPL and we will ensure there are no such issues during the season."

Indian T20I captain labelled the Lucknow pitch "a shocker" last month, after the second T20I yielded 200 runs in 39.5 overs.

"I don't mind difficult wickets. I am all up for that, but these two wickets are not made for T20. Somewhere down the line the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier," he said at the time.