New Delhi: The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has rejected claims of adulteration and lack of hygiene in soft drinks sold at the Arun Jaitley Stadium during a match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 recently, IANS reported.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the DDCA rejected claims made in a video circulating on social media that has shown a vendor pouring cold drink back into bottles. DDCA claimed the drink was poured back into the bottles as per agreed commercial arrangements and operational standards, and those bottles were later disposed of "responsibly in line with established environmental and operational guidelines".
In its statement issued on Thursday, the DDCA said, "We have come across a video circulating on social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), alleging that a vendor was seen pouring cold drinks back into bottles during a recent match." The video went viral on Twitter following Tuesday's match between the Netherlands and Namibia.
BEWARE ⚠️ The leftovers of soft drink #ThumbsUp in paper-cups are being poured into large pet bottles and sold later. This video is recorded from Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi! pic.twitter.com/ET0cqWPOIk
— Deepu (@deepu_drops) February 11, 2026
The DDCA clarified that the operation was carried out by the authorised concessionaire for the stadium, in line with the event guidelines.
"In this regard, it is clarified that pouring is undertaken by the authorised concessionaire for the stadium, in line with the event guidelines. The concessionaire was serving Coca-Cola products in accordance with the agreed commercial arrangements and operational standards," the statement said.
The DDCA also claimed that they followed strict hygiene protocols in this regard.
"We follow strict hygiene protocols at the venue. In the instance shown in the video, the vendor, while segregating wet and dry waste, poured the unused beverage back into the bottle before disposal as part of the waste collection process. The bottles were subsequently collected, segregated, and processed in accordance with the venue's waste management and recycling policy," the statement added.
"It is reiterated that the bottles were disposed of responsibly in line with established environmental and operational guidelines," the statement said.