IPL will go ahead : Modi
Saturday, 7 March 2009
The Indian Premier League will go ahead as planned - despite the attack on Sri Lanka's team in Pakistan, insists IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.
Modi admitted that schedule changes will be needed because of clashes with national election polling dates, reports BBC.
India's home minister Palaniappan Chidambaram wanted the tournament to be held after the general elections.
And Modi said: "I want to assure all our fans, sponsors and all stakeholders that the tournament is on."
There were fears the tournament - which is scheduled to take place from April 10 to May 24- was in doubt after Chidambaram, while indicating he could provide paramilitary security cover for the IPL, had said he did not want to stretch resources between the IPL and general elections.
Modi chaired an IPL governing council meeting with Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] officials Friday, and then revealed it would go on, with moves to tweak the schedules to take into consideration dates on which cities go to the polls now in progress.
He said: "We are extremely grateful and thankful to the Home Minister Mr Chidambaram for his clarification that security would be provided for IPL matches.''
Modi admitted that schedule changes will be needed because of clashes with national election polling dates, reports BBC.
India's home minister Palaniappan Chidambaram wanted the tournament to be held after the general elections.
And Modi said: "I want to assure all our fans, sponsors and all stakeholders that the tournament is on."
There were fears the tournament - which is scheduled to take place from April 10 to May 24- was in doubt after Chidambaram, while indicating he could provide paramilitary security cover for the IPL, had said he did not want to stretch resources between the IPL and general elections.
Modi chaired an IPL governing council meeting with Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] officials Friday, and then revealed it would go on, with moves to tweak the schedules to take into consideration dates on which cities go to the polls now in progress.
He said: "We are extremely grateful and thankful to the Home Minister Mr Chidambaram for his clarification that security would be provided for IPL matches.''