IPL 7 out of India, is headed for SA

MUMBAI: The general elections have forced IPL 7 out of India, at least the initial matches, and cricket’s biggest show will now be played on foreign shores, most probably South Africa.

Making it official, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Friday, “IPL will not be held in India. Due to the general elections, it will be difficult to provide adequate security to the matches.”

The message was conveyed to a BCCI delegation that met him on Thursday.

HT was first to report on February 14 that South Africa would be hosting the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League, due to a date clash with the April-May Lok Sabha elections, and that an agreement to this effect had been reached with Cricket South Africa.

IPL 7 starts on April 9 and goes on till June 3.

While Sharjah and Abu Dhabi are also being considered, it is reliably learnt that the Indian board has already zeroed in on South Africa since it successfully hosted the league’s second edition in 2009 (also due to elections). >> P27

The tournament will be brought back to India at a later stage when the elections are over.

“We are looking at the best options now. We will have a definite answer by February 28, when it will be placed before the BCCI’s working committee at a meeting in Bhubaneswar,” said IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal.

>> MURKY PAST IN SA, P27