Mumbai / Site screen of Wankhede Stadium collapse due to cyclone Tauktae: Report

Mumbai: Cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc across Mumbai on Monday. The winds were scary and the local BMC had advised the people to stay indoors. The lashing winds did not even spare the Wankhede Stadium on Monday where a 16-feet long sightscreen fell down as it could not withstand the force of the winds.

A source in the Mumbai Cricket Association told TOI that it was not the first occasion that such a thing had happened. The source said that a similar incident had happened during the 2011 World Cup as well.

“The sightscreen towards the famous North Stand at Wankhede Stadium fell, as a result of the gusts of wind today. It had last fallen during the 2011 World Cup too. It’s not a big deal, we will use ropes and all to erect it again,” a source in MCA told TOI.

The same stadium hosted a number of now-suspended Indian Premier League games and according to the grapevine, were considering hosting a few more matches after players tested positive for Covid in Delhi and Ahmedabad.

Earlier on Monday (May 17), IPL franchise Mumbai Indians took to Instagram to share a video of heavy rain and strong winds in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the cyclone hit the coast between Diu and Una around 9 pm on Monday and ended around midnight, the IMD said.

“The entire eye of the cyclone has now crossed the coast and lies over land. The rear sector of the eye is now entering the land,” the IMD said in a tweet after midnight.