High alert in Ahmedabad ahead of India–Africa T20 match, strict security checks at Narendra Modi Stadium

Security agencies were placed on high alert in Ahmedabad on Friday ahead of the India–Africa T20 match scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the evening, amid a spate of recent threat emails received in the city.

Ahead of the fifth and final match of the T20 series, extensive security checks were being carried out in and around the stadium premises. Teams from the bomb disposal squad and dog squad were deployed outside the venue, conducting thorough searches of all areas as part of pre-match security protocols.

Officials said that every section around the stadium, including entry points and surrounding zones, was being systematically checked to ensure the safety of players, officials and spectators. The checks began several hours before the match and continued till the gates opened for the public.

The heightened security measures follow the receipt of repeated threat emails in Ahmedabad over the past few days. Authorities had earlier received bomb threats targeting schools in the city as well as the Vadodara Collector’s office, prompting enhanced vigilance across key installations.

Police officials said a robust security cover has been put in place for the match, with multiple layers of deployment involving local police, specialised squads and intelligence teams. “All standard operating procedures are being followed, and there is no cause for panic,” an official said, adding that the measures were purely precautionary.

The fifth T20 match of the India–Africa series at the Narendra Modi Stadium is expected to draw a large crowd.