Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 knockouts to undergo in ‘Hazardous’ Delhi air

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 is entering the knockout stage, where 66 domestic cricketers will play the tournament in the toxic Delhi air. The national capital has seen a significant decline in air quality in the last week.

As on Monday, the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) level in Delhi was 349, which is ‘Harzardous’ while the venue of the two pre-quarter-finals Feroz Shah Kotla, located in Central Delhi, had a peak AQI of 249, which is deemed “Unhealthy”. As per the Central Pollution Control Board data, the average air quality index (AQI), as recorded from 36 monitoring stations, over the past 24 hours ending at 4 p.m. on Sunday was 330.

“The conditions are slightly better compared to past week and there is no intimation that we won’t go ahead with the game,” a senior DDCA official was quoted as saying by News18.com.

The SMAT knockouts will be played between November 16 to 22 at the Palam A Stadium and Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

SMAT 2021 Knockouts itinerary

November 16

Pre-Quarterfinal 1, Maharashtra vs Vidarbha, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 8:30 am

Pre-Quarterfinal 2, Karnataka vs Saurashtra, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 1:00 pm

Pre-Quarterfinal 3, Himachal Pradesh vs Kerala, Palam A Stadium, Delhi, 12:00 pm

November 18

Quarterfinal 1, Tamil Nadu vs TBA, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 8:30 am

Quarterfinal 2, Bengal vs TBA, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 1:00 pm

Quarterfinal 3, Rajasthan vs TBA, Palam A Stadium, Delhi, 12:00 pm

Quarterfinal 4 – Gujarat vs Hyderabad, Palam A Stadium, Delhi, 1:00 pm

November 20

Semi-Final 1, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 8:30 am

Semi-Final 2, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 1:00 pm

November 22

Final, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 12:00 pm