New Delhi: After the Bombay High Court ordered shifting of 13 IPL matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has called a meeting on Friday, where league chairman Rajeev Shukla and representatives of the two affected franchises will discuss about potential alternative venues for the matches.
“We have called a meeting at 4 pm tomorrow (Friday) in Delhi to decide further course of action, where IPL staff and the two affected franchises, Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants, will also be present. We will provide them a list of alternative venues, and whichever venues they select, we will get them rectified by the governing council,” BCCI functionary Shukla confirmed the news.
Shukla said the board would also file an appeal before the high court, seeking approval for holding the match to be held on May 1 in Maharashtra, as it would be impossible for the Rising Pune to shift to a different venue within 24 hours as they host the Gujarat Lions on April 29.
According to Shukla, the two teams will be allowed to choose among Kanpur, Raipur, and Visakhapatnam as their alternative venues.
The court had earlier allowed the BCCI to host IPL matches in Maharashtra till April 30, after which the rest of the matches must be shifted out of the state.
The order came despite an assurance from the BCCI that they were ready to supply 40 lakh litres of water to the drought-affected areas in the state, besides agreeing to contribute Rs. 5 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
The court’s decision came on a PIL filed by NGO ‘Loksatta Movement’ against the hosting of the IPL matches in Maharashtra, which is facing severe water crisis.(ANI)