It’s a good thing that UP’s young Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is as passionate about sports as he is about political games; cricket tops his list. A few days ago, Akhilesh signed a MoU with the UP Cricket Association (UPCA), which said that for the next 30 years, the maintenance and upkeep of Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium will be UPCA’s responsibility. For this, the UPCA will not only give the UP government Rs one crore each year, but also pay a 25 per cent share of money got from tickets sold for matches at the venue, to the state government. UPCA Secretary Rajiv Shukla had been working on this deal for the past 10-15 years. Shukla’s argument was that getting the stadium just a month before a match means it is not adequately cleaned or properly painted, leave alone maintenance. Those in UP are hoping that this new arrangement will mean a chance to watch some big matches.