Shift IPL 2016 Matches Out of Maharashtra After April 30: Bombay High Court
IPL 2016 matches have been scheduled in three venues - Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur -- in drought-hit Maharashtra. BCCI will now have to reschedule 13 matches
Highlights
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19 IPL matches are scheduled to be played in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur
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Mumbai Indians and Pune Supergiants may have to look for new home ground
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The IPL 9 final was scheduled to be played in Mumbai in May 29
The Bombay High Court has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India to shift all IPL 2016 matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra after April 30. According to the IPL 2016 schedule, 19 matches were scheduled in three venues - Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur -- in the state. (IPL: Bombay High Court Tells BCCI to Shift Matches From Drought-Hit Maharashtra)
The BCCI will now have to reschedule 13 IPL 2016 matches, including the final which was scheduled in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on May 29. The opening match of the tournament was played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on April 9. (Maharashtra Stand to Lose Rs 100 Cr if IPL Matches Are Shifted, Says Anurag Thakur)
Defending champions Mumbai Indians treat the Wankhede Stadium as their 'home' ground while debutants Rising Pune Supergiants, led by MS Dhoni, will now have to play several games at an adopted 'home'. Nagpur were scheduled to host three games as home ground for Kings XI Punjab.
A Public Interest Litigation in Bombay High Court questioning the logic of hosting IPL games in drought-hit Maharashtra led to Wednesday's verdict.
The Maharashtra government had reiterated its stand that it was against the use of potable water during IPL matches, but also hinted at it wouldn't oppose the event if there was no misuse of water.
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur went to the extent of saying that the Board was ready to use treated sewage water and it had no intention of using potable water during the IPL matches.
"Cricket is so popular in our country that people want to create controversy over it. I want to ask how many swimming pools in five-star hotels are being shut down because of drought. We are not using potable water and we ready to help farmers too. 0.33 percent water is being used," Thakur had said.
Teams like Kings XI Punjab and Pune had also complained of "logistical nightmare and financial problem" if matches were shifted out of Maharashtra. Now that that the court has given its decision, the IPL will be back to the drawing board to reschedule 13 games across Indian cities.