Uncertainty over the Indian Premier League Season II continues. Even as the intelligence inputs have revealed that there is a threat perception to the IPL matches.
Uncertainty over the Indian Premier League Season II continues. Even as the intelligence inputs have revealed that there is a threat perception to the IPL matches, the league officials are leaving no stone unturned in their effort to ensure the tournament is held in April-May. Former president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Sharad Pawar is doing the firefighting for the IPL.
Sources in Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi say that the Union Agriculture Minister has taken up the matter directly with the Home Ministry officials who have, it is learnt, objected to the schedule of the league. “He is handling the matter. He is the right man to take any decision,” said an IPL official.
The IPL has already sent a revised schedule which, reports suggested, has not found favour with the Home Ministry officials although the league officials have said that they do not need the help of central forces for the matches. Besides, IPL officials are ready to use private security agencies for the matches. Already a South African security firm is on board to advise the IPL on threat perception and prevention.
The Home Ministry has sought the views of those State Governments where the IPL matches will be staged. There are eight of them. A lot of depends on the response of these State Governments. The states where the matches will be played are New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Meanwhile, IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who has been out of the country, has returned to Mumbai. He was immediately locked in discussions. The IPL officials expressed confidence that the Season II will go ahead without any hitches. Said an official: “There is too much at stake for a tournament of this stature to be cancelled.”
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