Gavaskar felt that the losses that the franchises would incur by shifting the games out of Maharashtra could be compensated for.
Former Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has said that the IPL must put the concerns of farmers of Maharashtra above cricket.
With the IPL scheduled on begin on Saturday, Gavaskar has come out strongly in favour of shifting the venues in Maharashtra outside the state.
His comments come in wake of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Bombay High Court over IPL games - which require significant water usage on the field and pitch - being held in drought-hit Maharashtra.
"The issue of drought is one such where many lives are at stake," Gavaskar wrote. "I am no expert on ground and pitch preparation and how much water will be consumed for it, nor do I know whether the water that will be saved if the matches are not played can be used to irrigate the lands that have become dry and parched. What, however, is without any doubt is that it is the farmers of this country that help put our food on the table and if their lives are at stake, then whatever needs to be done must be done to ensure that not even one life is lost," said Gavaskar writing for an English news daily.
"The BCCI… will no doubt do what is in the best interest of the nation. There will certainly be losses to the franchises if the games are moved out of their home grounds but, as happened in 2009 and 2014 when the tournament was moved to South Africa and UAE, the franchises will no doubt get compensated… It is a small price to pay, for the alternative could well be unnecessary loss of lives of those whose hard work gives us our daily roti and dal," he added.
On Friday, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis had on Friday said that no potable water would be provided for the IPL matches in Maharashtra, even if they were held in the state. The Bombay HC had earlier rapped the BCCI for holding the matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur is set to hold a meeting with the teams for Saturday's match - Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Super Giants, on the issue.
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 "Sunil Gavaskar")
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