Leicestershire have been hit with a significant points deduction and financial penalty after a County Championship pitch at Grace Road was deemed to have breached the required standards. The club has been fined £5,000 (around Rs 6.43 lakh) and handed a 27-point penalty following disciplinary proceedings linked to its Championship fixture against Glamorgan in August. The match, played from August 20 to 23, ended with Leicestershire securing a 42-run victory. Despite the win, the pitch was subsequently rated "poor", prompting action from the Cricket Regulator and the Cricket Discipline Panel.

Ganguly Biopic Shoot Mentioned During Defence

Leicestershire head groundsman Callum Lewin told the Cricket Regulator that a combination of circumstances made pitch preparation particularly difficult in the lead-up to the Glamorgan game.

Among the issues he highlighted was unusually hot weather, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius.

He also pointed to an unexpected film shoot at the ground connected to the upcoming biopic on former India captain Sourav Ganguly.

Lewin explained that the filming took place just four days before the Championship fixture and affected his ability to prepare and protect the playing surface.

"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,"

"We also had an unscheduled Bollywood filming event four days before and I wasn't allowed to work on the pitch. I wasn't allowed to cover it or anything."

However, the disciplinary panel did not accept the film shoot as sufficient mitigation.

It noted that the Bollywood production occupied the venue for just one day and therefore did not provide grounds to reduce the club's responsibility for the condition of the pitch.

Cracks Lead To Uneven Bounce

The condition of the surface became a major issue during the match, with moving cracks contributing to inconsistent bounce.

Match referee Ian Ramage documented 43 instances of uneven bounce in his report, providing evidence behind the decision to classify the pitch as "poor".

The Cricket Discipline Panel subsequently upheld the charge against Leicestershire, leaving the club facing a substantial points setback despite having won the match.

Under the punishment, Leicestershire have effectively lost the 19 points they earned from the match. The disciplinary panel then imposed an additional eight-point deduction.

A further eight points have been suspended and will remain so until the conclusion of the 2027 season.

Leicestershire have been given 10 working days to appeal the decision.