The Hindu Business Line : Indian Premier League matches to be held abroad

Straight drive: The IPL Commissioner, Mr Lalit Modi (right), and the BCCI President, Mr Shashank Manohar, addressing presspersons after the BCCI working committee meeting in Mumbai on Sunday. —

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Mumbai, March 22 Security has finally stumped plans of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) second season of Twenty20 matches that will now have to be held overseas.

The toss-up for a new venue is tipped to be between England and South Africa, and detailed plans are expected on Monday.

This decision followed an emergency meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) working committee on Sunday. The meeting was to chart an action plan that would balance the Union Home Ministry’s security concern, as the country went into general elections, along with the interests of the game’s stakeholders and sponsors.

The BCCI is not in a position to play a truncated IPL or to cancel the second edition of the IPL, an official statement said. “It is a matter of great regret that, in the prevailing atmosphere, where the Government is expressing concern for providing security to the IPL matches, the BCCI is left with no other option but to conduct the Indian Premier League in another country,” the statement said.

Security has been high on the agenda after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore, Pakistan, earlier this month. And not too long ago, gunmen had attacked high-profile targets in Mumbai, last November. The country’s general elections are scheduled between April 16 and May 13, and the Maharahstra and Andhra Pradesh governments had recently expressed their inability to provide security to the games.

Game-plan

While the IPL Commissioner, Mr Lalit Modi, did not get into blaming anyone for the development, he said that the games will be played as scheduled, between April 10 and May 24, and return to India next season. And though Indian fans will be deprived of the stadium experience, Mr Modi assured them that they would catch the matches at the unchanged timings of 4 pm and 8 pm, Indian time.

“Shifting IPL outside India will be very expensive. We will spend much more money and make no profit, but that is not our concern. Our concern is that the viewers get to watch the IPL. Ninety-nine per cent of Indians watch IPL on TV and less than one per cent come to the ground,” Mr Modi said.

Sponsorship

Nevertheless, questions remain on how the logistics will be handled overseas, besides the maze of deals regarding ground sponsorship, advertising rates and telecast rights. The first IPL season had contributed close to Rs 100 crore to the exchequer, besides generating employment, the BCCI said.

In fact, earlier this month, IPL’s top-brass had indicated that even before the game got off the ground, it had contracted revenues of over Rs 10,790 crore, an increase of Rs 1,725 crore over last season.

Franchisees

All eight franchisees wanted the IPL to be held on schedule and so are in favour of the BCCI’s decision, said Bangalore’s Royal Challengers team owner and liquor baron, Mr Vijay Mallya. “We are happy that the tournament is being held. It was unfortunate that it is not in India despite trying to adjust the dates because of the ensuing general elections. All the franchisees, without exception, wanted the show to go on,” he said.

The Reliance Chairman, Mr Mukesh Ambani’s wife and co-owner of the Mumbai Indians team, Ms Nita Ambani, told mediapersons that IPL has assured franchisees that they will not suffer losses if the Twenty20 tournament is held outside the country.

The Kolkata Knight Riders owner and film celebrity Shah Rukh Khan said he could understand the security constraints in holding the event while the country went to polls. And echoing his views, King XI Punjab’s co-owner and Bollywood actor Preity Zinta said the IPL teams will have no trouble finding a fan base even in a foreign country.