India–South Africa T20 clash in Cuttack: IIT Bhubaneswar team inspects Barabati stadium

An eight-member technical team from IIT Bhubaneswar conducted a detailed inspection of Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium on Friday, ahead of the India-South Africa T20 match, scheduled for December 9. The review was carried out to assess the stadium’s preparedness and identify any safety or infrastructural concerns before the high-profile international fixture.

IIT Team Reviews Key Stadium Facilities

During their visit, the IIT team examined several critical areas of the stadium, including the spectator galleries, corporate boxes, VVIP enclosure and the main pavilion. Their objective was to evaluate structural integrity, crowd-handling capacity and on-ground safety mechanisms.

The group will now prepare and submit a comprehensive report to the Odisha government, outlining recommendations and observations necessary to ensure a smooth and secure match-day experience.

Also Read: India vs SA T20 at Barabati Stadium on Dec 9; Odisha CM directs OCA, others for ‘zero-error’

Security and Infrastructure Under the Spotlight

With Barabati Stadium set to host a large crowd for the much-anticipated T20, the focus has been firmly placed on security protocols. The inspection aims to strengthen readiness in terms of emergency response, entry-exit management and facilities for players and officials. This aligns with the state’s broader efforts to maintain international cricketing standards.

"A team from IIT Bhubaneswar has arrived here; a regular process will be going on with periodic inspection. Apart from today, they had visited here a couple of times earlier. The work is going on with the help of their supervision. Once the work is completed, a report will be submitted to the district administration and the Commissionerate Police. We will submit a certificate to them on December 6th. The settlement was done as this is a 1954 construction, which is made from load-bearing structures with the help of bricks," said Bishnupada Mohapatra, Chief Technical Advisor, OCA.

"We have done the NDT test before on the Gallery No 7, and this time we are doing this on Gallery No 1 and other old pavilions. The other work has been going on through Canadian and Thailand companies. As you can see, there is a lot of grouting work here since this building is a very old structure (1950s)," said Deepak Kumar Malik, IIT Technical Team Member. 

Countdown to the India–South Africa T20

The December 9th match marks the return of top-tier cricket to Cuttack, and excitement among fans is already rising. Ensuring the venue is fully compliant with safety norms is considered vital for the smooth conduct of the event.