The second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will not be held in India. At the BCCI working committee meeting today in Mumbai, a decision was taken to stage the tournament outside the country "because of the extraordinary situation existing this year."
"Under the given circumstances, the BCCI is not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the second edition of the IPL. It is a matter of great regret that, in the prevailing atmosphere, where the government is expressing concern for providing security to the IPL matches, the BCCI is left with no other option but to conduct the Indian Premier League in another country," the board stated in a media release.
England and South Africa have emerged as the frontrunners to host the event, an IPL official said. Discussions between the BCCI and the respective boards will get underway and a decision is likely in two to three days.
Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, who was present at the working committee meeting said there will be no changes made to the tournament's format or the schedule. "All 59 games will happen as per schedule, with the first game to be played at 4:00 pm IST and the second game beginning at 8:00 pm IST," he said. An official announcement is expected soon.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has said it is ready to host the second season of the IPL in April-May after the BCCI officially approached it with a request on Sunday morning.
"South Africa were officially approached today by the IPL officials, asking us whether we can host the event," Gerald Majola, CSA's chief executive, told Cricinfo. "We are looking at their requirements to see whether we can fulfill them. As I understand, we are one of the parties that they have approached, but for now we can say that we are ready to host the IPL. However, we expect to meet the Indian officials soon to understand the situation better."
Majola said that he expected to have "positive discussions" with the Indian board in this regard. "It is a huge compliment to CSA's organisational skills, facilities and infrastructure that we are being asked to host another major international event," he stated in a press release issued later.
An ECB spokesman told Cricinfo that the board was aware of the situation, and that it would be making a statement in due course. David Collier, the chief executive, is currently in Guyana ahead of the second ODI against West Indies.
Diverging views emerged from officials of the franchise owners as the news of the impending relocation broke.
Some franchises favour South Africa as it is cheaper option compared to England, the other serious alternative. "If we are looking at an April start, the climate in England would be a factor," a franchise official said. "Even the TV timings, we feel, will work better for us if the matches are held in South Africa."
Meanwhile PTI quoted another franchise official callind England the most logical venue because of the timings of the matches. "There's a big chunk of Indian expatriates there to take care of the franchisees' revenue factor," he said. England is also to host the ICC World Twenty20 Cup in June.
Senior officials from India and South Africa had earlier denied reports that the IPL was being relocated to South Africa. The tournament's future came under a cloud after the Indian government expressed its reluctance to approve the dates, given its clash with the country's general elections.
South Africa is also expected to host the Champions Trophy from September 24-October 5 this year after the ICC board endorsed a recommendation by its Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) to hold the tournament there.