Aiden Markram, left, and David Miller of the Lucknow Super Giants with Faf du Plessis and Donovan Ferreira of the Delhi Capitals during the practise session ahead of the IPL match at the Dr. YSR ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK

The City of Destiny is buzzing with excitement as it prepares to host the much-awaited two Indian Premier League (IPL) matches of the Delhi Capitals (DC) starting March 24 (Monday).

The Dr. YSR ACA-VDCA Stadium at PM Palem has been decked up with vibrant banners of the stars from the DC. The stage has been set for a thrilling action between the DC and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Workers are making final arrangements to welcome the players as well as spectators.

Officials from the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) and Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA) are busy making hassle-free arrangements, right from crowd management to player facilities.

Police were deployed in strength at the stadium as part of the security arrangements on Sunday. Senior officials were seen briefing them about crowd management.

ACA president Kesineni Sivanath, ACA secretary S. Satish, along with the PM Palem Police, inspected the arrangements at the stadium.

Members of both the teams had been attending practise sessions at the stadium for the past few days. The match, a first for both the teams, would be played under lights.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Sivanath said all arrangements had been made to ensure the smooth conduct of the match. He said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was unable to attend the match due to his busy schedule. Governor S. Abdul Nazeer had given his consent to attend the event, he added.

Speaking about the new look of the stadium, Mr. Sivanath said 800 workers had toiled relentlessly to complete the renovation of the stadium in less than two months. The DC management and the players were impressed, he said.

“The 27,000-capacity stadium will be packed for both the matches, as the response is overwhelming,” he said.

This is for the second consecutive year that the DC has chosen Visakhapatnam as its second home ground. Fans are anticipating high-energy matches with the participation of stars from both the teams such as K.L. Rahul, Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant, Faf du Plessis, Tristan Stubbs, Nicholas Pooran, David Miller, Mitchell Marsh, and Aiden Markram.