Hyderabad, Chennai eye base in Vizag

This year’s Indian Premier League could well see the coastal town of Visakhapatnam (Vizag) playing host to the Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings.

This year’s Indian Premier League could well see the coastal town of Visakhapatnam (Vizag) playing host to the Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings.

HT Image

IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, had announced on Friday that he had 14 venues to choose from, and besides the eight venues that were home to the eight franchises last year, the likely centres are Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Vizag, Dharamsala, Rajkot and Cuttack.

“We would be playing a couple of our home matches in Vizag, but it is still not decided,” said a Chennai Super Kings official. The picture will get clear once the schedule is released

following the Home Ministry’s

clearance. The schedule could be announced as early as Wednesday, but if sources are to be believed, “this could be delayed, beyond this weekend as it requires clearance from the state governments”.

The IPL governing council has allowed the franchises to identify at least one alternative venue “under its own area of operation”.

As a result, the Rajasthan Royals could have their home matches in Nagpur besides Jaipur (Central Zone); the Deccan Chargers could have matches in Hyderabad and Vizag; Chennai Super Kings in Chennai and Vizag; King’s XI Punjab in Mohali, Chandigarh and Dharamsala; Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata and Cuttack; Mumbai Indians at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) and D.Y. Patil Stadium.

Only the Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers will play all their home matches in Delhi and Bangalore and have no alternatives. Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium is also in the shortlist and will host a couple of matches. There are indications that the Knight Riders could play a couple of their home matches in Motera.

IPL to stay in Jaipur?

New Delhi: The Rajasthan Cricket Association on Monday scotched rumours of Jaipur being off the list of venues for the IPL. Sources in the RCA told the HT that all that was mere conjecture.

“I don’t understand where this news came from, I mean, how can anyone just write Jaipur is off the list? We are very much in the loop, and will stage matches,” said the source.

In fact, it is learnt that the IPL have called RCA secretary Ashok Ohri for a meeting to Mumbai to take a look at the new schedule and start preparing for the matches.

As far as Modi evidently trying to keep Jaipur out after losing the RCA elections, the source said: “How can he or anyone else keep us out? Government has promised security so we will host matches.”