IPL 2016: BCCI, HPCA confused after Kings XI Punjab Announce Dharamsala as Venue
A Board of Control for Cricket in India source said that they have been left confused because there is a "distinct lack of communication from Kings XI Punjab's end".
Highlights
-
Kings XI Punjab shifted their Nagpur home matches to Dharamsala
-
Their first home is Mohali
-
The move came after Bombay High Court barred IPL matches in Maharashtra
There seems to be no end to confusion with regards to shift of Kings XI Punjab's three IPL home matches after the franchise issued an official statement naming Dharamsala as their second home venue.
However conflicting reports emerged when highly-placed sources in the BCCI were contacted.
"It is weird but we are left a little confused after we heard that Kings XI Punjab had issued a statement naming Dharamsala as their home ground. It is a bit confusing as there seems to be distinct lack of communication at their end," a top BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
It has become even more intriguing as a HPCA spoksperson said that despite KXIP's announcement they are not sure whether the match will take place.
"After the manner in which the venue lost the Pakistan match in the World T20, we are wary about the politics being played by the state government as the Himachal Pradesh CA president Anurag Thakur is a BJP MP," HPCA spoksperson said after KXIP issued the statement.
It has been learnt that one of their promoters had told top brass of BCCI that they would like to host all their matches at Mohali as it is cost-effective and choosing Dharamsala has now sent conflicting signals.
"We are happy to announce that Kings XI Punjab will be playing our 3 home games in Dharamshala. We are grateful and thankful to Anurag Thakur and the HPCA for their support in helping us make this transition seamless at such short notice," is a statement released by KXIP's PR department.
When they were specifically asked if they had issued the statement after consulting with the BCCI, the sources close to the KXIP management could not give any definitive answer.
However they maintained that all promoters are on same page regarding the shift of venue.
Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia told PTI: "I guess there has been some confusion as our first choice of venue is Dharamsala for the three matches. But in case there are problems then we will be playing at Mohali."