Mumbai, April 19: The semi-finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have been shifted to Navi Mumbai following explosions outside the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Saturday.
Worse, three more bombs were found in the area on Sunday. The matches, originally scheduled to be played in Bangalore, will now be held at the DY Patil stadium on April 21 and 22. The ground will also host the 3rd place play-off and the IPL final on April 24 and 25, respectively.
IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, who is in Dubai, called up Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar in Nagpur before shifting the matches out of Bangalore.
Modi also sought the Maharashtra government’s consent. BCCI and IPL officials said Sharad Pawar, who is in Dubai for an International Cricket Council meet, phoned state home minister RR Patil and discussed the feasibility of holding the semi-finals in Navi Mumbai.
“Mr Pawar spoke to the home minister,” confirmed Modi. Arun Jaitley, a governing council member of the IPL, was also in touch with state government authorities before the decision was taken.
“The security of the players, officials and spectators is paramount to us. Lalit proposed this and I agreed. So, we have shifted the matches to Mumbai,” Manohar said.
Modi added: “It was a sad decision, but an inevitable one. We had all the assurance and cooperation from the Bangalore police but, with the current situation, it was difficult for us to continue with the original plan.”
Modi and Manohar debunked talk that players, especially overseas cricketers, have expressed security concerns. “No player has come up to us on this matter. We don’t have any such information. The decision was taken in the best interest of the tournament,” said Modi.
Nearly an hour before the Mumbai Indians versus Royal Challengers Bangalore clash in Bangalore on Saturday, two explosions outside the Chinnaswamy stadium injured 15 people.
Another bomb was defused while the match was on. Three bombs were found outside the stadium on Sunday too, prompting authorities to reconsider the venue for the semi-finals.
Security during the IPL matches is handled by the local police in association with Nicholls and Steyns, a South Africa-based private security agency.
The company chief, however, refuted talks of security failure in Bangalore. “It was not a security failure because the blasts occurred outside the secured area of the Chinnaswamy stadium,” Bob Nicholls, a former security guard of Nelson Mandela. “The security in Bangalore was perfect. The decision to move the matches was taken by the IPL and we’ll abide by that.”
Nicholls expressed confidence in providing security for the four games in five days in Mumbai. “We are working with certain people in Mumbai and the DY Patil stadium is safe. We’re confident that the matches will go without any incidents,” he said.
–Agencies–