IPL revises schedule, but Centre undecided

There is a revised schedule for the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, but the central government is still deciding what to do.

It wishes to first discuss the matter with states where both polls and the matches are scheduled. This is even though IPL organisers have told the Union home ministry they do not require any central forces for security during the matches.

The ministry has passed on the new IPL schedule to the states and is awaiting their response, a senior official said.

The new schedule maintains the duration of the Twenty20 format tournament from April 10 to May 24, but with changes on match dates that fall on April 16, 23, 30 and May 7 and 13, top IPL sources said.

This ensures no matches are held in cities on election days. New Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad are the venues.

“We’re just changing the dates around matches, around polling,” Dhiraj Malhotra, the tournament director told agencies.

“Where do you postpone it to? There is a World Cup starting on the first of June, (with) the first warm-up game,” he said, referring to the Twenty20 World Cup in England from June 5-21.

The league, involving many international players, has been thrust into the security spotlight in the wake of Tuesday’s terrorist attack on Sri Lankan players in Pakistan, which left seven Pakistanis dead.

Foreign players are raising concerns over travelling to the sub-continent.

Malhotra said security had been assessed and league officials would talk to players and national boards to allay safety fears.

“Before this (the Lahore attack) happened we’d already decided on security,” he said.

“We’ve a security warden in India who has been here for the last one month, roaming around these eight venues, meeting with the local authorities. Once we shift the dates around the election, obviously we will get the local police and all. If the election is happening in Chennai it is possible to have a match in Mumbai, he added.

“Right now we are talking to the players, all the boards. I don’t see it being a problem,” Malhotra said.