It seems that the cricket news about the IPL is never the same two days in a row. While yesterday we had information that the IPL had got the nod from the respective host states, today we are being informed that IPL will be not be held in India at all; that it is to be shifted abroad. This decision, which will affect so many connected with international cricket was taken owing to the fact that it was becoming poll issue and was taken at an emergency meeting of the BCCI working committee in Mumbai today. Alternative venues being considered for IPL Season 2 are South Africa and England.

The general view among the franchisees is that while this is not an ideal solution, it is better than not holding the event. Reportedly, the logistics won’t affect the IPL or the teams too much, the only extra expenditure as envisaged right now will be flying the players and officials out to South Africa or wherever it is that the event will be held. The event will now have the same schedule as originally planned, will have the same number of matches and it is even thought that the timing of the matches will be the same as last year (4 to 8 pm IST).

Indian cricket fans are understandably upset at this switch and it is feared that there will now be nothing Indian about the IPL, in spite of the reassurance from IPL officials that this was a one off and that the IPL would retain its essentially Indian flavour and character.

Although sources still deny that the IPL is to be held in South Africa, there is unconfirmed cricket news that IPL chairman Lalit Modi has had unofficial talks with CSA chief Gerald Majola. Sources have also indicated that CSA would not be averse to holding the event for reasons of revenue generation as well as to show the international cricket community that it was capable of hosting a series of such scale.

This cricket news has largely found favour with team owners. "As a franchise owner, I am really happy that the IPL is on. We tried our best to hold it in India but because of the ensuing General Elections we had to move it out of India,” Bangalore Royal Challenge owner Vijay Mallya said. Nita Ambani also indicated that it was up to the government and the IPL to decide the venue, indicating that the venue was not of the utmost importance.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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