Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live

Bangalore likely to host IPL final; Pune’s new base is Visakhapat­nam

- HT Correspond­ent letters@hindustant­imes.com

NEW DELHI: Bangalore is likely to host this season’s IPL final instead of Mumbai, while debutants Rising Pune Supergiant­s will shift their home base to Visakhapat­nam as the Bombay high court disallowed matches in drought-battered Maharashtr­a this May.

The sulking Mumbai Indians sought time till Sunday to pick their stand-in home city after the top brass of the cash-rich T20 cricket league gave the two Maharashtr­a franchises four options on Friday — Raipur, Jaipur, Visakhapat­nam, and Kanpur — to choose from.

Other than the final, which Mumbai was supposed to host on May 29, the qualifier 1 playoff too could go to Bangalore as the court order forced the BCCI to reset the schedule. The other two playoffs — qualifier 2 and eliminator — will be held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The court directed the BCCI to shift all IPL matches after April 30 from Maharashtr­a, which is grappling with the worst early summer drought in years.

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