By IANS,
Mumbai : Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi said the expenses to shift the tournament outside the country would be exorbitant, but is happy to have found an alternative for the viewers. The venue of the tournament will be decided by Monday evening.
After days of speculation about the second edition of the Twenty20 tournament, the BCCI decided in an emergency meeting Sunday to move the IPL outside India because state governments have expressed their inability to provide security to the tournament as it clashes with general elections.
The tournament was originally set to take place April 10 to May 24 and will remain the same.
“Shifting IPL outside India will be very expensive. We will spend much more money and make no profit, but that is not our concern. Our concern is that the viewers get to watch the IPL.
Ninety nine percent of Indians watch IPL on TV and less than 1 percent come to the ground. They will be able to watch it at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Indian time like last year,” Modi said after a meeting with the franchise owners.
“Unfortunately, we could not hold it in India because of the election issues. We had to take into account the need for continuity in holding the tournament. We could not have found other dates in the international calendar.
“I know logistically it will be a big challenge to hold the tournament outside India. Everything will be managed by IPL centrally. We explored the possibility of shifting the semifinals and final back to India but it will be very exhaustive for the players.”
England and South Africa are the two likely venues with the latter being the preferred one because of a strong sub-continent presence.
“Nothing has been decided yet. We are exploring various options in England, South Africa and UAE. We will take a decision by tomorrow evening.”
Modi said the number of players would be limited this year as it would not be possible for the team owners to take the entire squad of 30.
“There will be a cap on the number of players. The teams will be holding camps before the tournament and they can take a decision on the selection of players.
Modi hoped that the issue will not be politicised in the wake of the elections in the country.
“I do not blame anyone and the issue should not be politicised.
“It still remains an Indian tournament being held at an international venue. Next year we will come back to India,” he said.