'Unscheduled filming': Ganguly's biopic shoot leads to over Rs 6 lakh fine

Sourav Ganguly

The shooting of former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly's biopic has landed a Counry club in financial trouble. Leicestershire have been handed a 27-point penalty and fined £5,000 (almost Rs 6.43 lakh) after being found guilty of breaching pitch regulations during their County Championship match against Glamorgan in August.

The decision has left the club in a difficult position as they fight to avoid relegation from Division One.The Cricket Discipline Panel upheld the charge after the Grace Road pitch was rated “poor” during Leicestershire’s 42-run win over Glamorgan from August 20 to 23.The club lost the 19 points it earned from the match and was given a further eight-point deduction. Eight more points have been suspended until the end of the 2027 season.

Bollywood shoot cited by groundsman

Leicestershire head groundsman Callum Lewin said several factors affected his preparations for the match, including hot weather and an unscheduled Bollywood film shoot, that of Ganguly's biopic, at the ground four days before the game."It's a used pitch this time around. We had two T20s on it 10 weeks ago. There were a lot of circumstances leading up to the game that were just out of my control, such as the weather was 35 degrees," Lewin told the Cricket Regulator.

"We also had an unscheduled Bollywood filming event four days before (the match vs Glamorgan), and I wasn't allowed to work on the pitch. I wasn't allowed to cover it or anything."However, the panel rejected the filming as a mitigating factor, noting that the shoot lasted only one day. The pitch later produced uneven bounce because of moving cracks, with match referee Ian Ramage recording 43 examples in his report.

The panel concluded that Leicestershire had not deliberately prepared a poor pitch but said the club's approach to preparing it was “unreasonable”.

Club considering its options

Leicestershire now have 10 working days to appeal the decision. The club said it was reviewing the verdict before deciding what to do next."The Club notes the Cricket Discipline Panel’s decision, which imposes an eight-point deduction, an additional eight-point deduction suspended until the end of the 2027 season, and a financial penalty of 5,000 pounds."Having received the Panel's decision, the Club is reviewing its position and considering all available options," the club said in a statement.Leicestershire, who had 89 points from 12 matches, now need a strong result against Hampshire in their ongoing Division One match to boost their chances of staying in the top tier.