Metal spikes on Wankhede Stadium fences to thwart fan-invasion

A worker puts spikes on the edge of a stand at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. Pic/Atul Kamble

It's always dangerous when spectators breach security and rush on to the playing field to meet their sporting hero.

The unpredictability of the fan could compromise the safety of the athlete. During the Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals IPL match at the Wankhede Stadium on April 1, a fan jumped over the North Stand fence and ran on to the pitch to greet former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma.

The Wankhede does not have a moat surrounding the field of play which other stadiums in India and across the world have, and this means, if a spectator jumps over the fence, they directly land onto the field of play.

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To address this problem, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to install spikes on the edge of the Wankhede fences, particularly in the North Stand region from where the errant spectator jumped earlier this month.

The spikes that were welded onto the fences on the eve of the MI v RCB match will make it practically impossible for anyone to place their hand over the edge of the fence in an attempt to jump over.

"It's not just around the North Stand area, we have tried to put these spikes around most of the stands around the stadium. This is purely for security reasons. The safety of players is our primary concern," MCA Secretary Ajinkya Naik told mid-day.

The idea seems to be working because no spectator was seen rushing on to the field of play while MI fielded on Thursday.