In an attempt to save the Indian Premier League`s (IPL) second edition, the organisers for the event have sent a revised schedule of the high-profile event to the home ministry, which will now decide whether security can be arranged for the Twenty20 tournament.
The tournament was derailed after deadly terror attack on Sri Lankan team in Lahore and the general elections in India which coincide with the league that starts April.10.
The organisers have re-drawn the schedule of the tournament taking care that no matches are held on polling days in the cities hosting the games. The organizers have seen that there is a two day gap between the day poll is conducted and the matches. Though there was no meeting between the league officials and home ministry officials there would be a meeting if any clarifications is required.
The organisers donot want to postpone the tournament as it may lead to massive financial loss for the franchise owners as well the tournament itself.
The Home Ministry has made it clear that providing security for the league during the time of general elections would be difficult, due to shortage of paramilitary forces and the time it is likely to take for deploying them for election duty.
The security agencies are themselves unwilling to stretch for the league and have told the government to press for a postponement of the high-profile event.
The terror attack on the Sri Lankan team on Tuesday in Lahore has also compounded the problems for the IPL organisers, who now expect pullouts by many of the foreign players.
Federation of International Cricketers Association chief executive Tim May has already sought a wider role in assessing the security for players during the IPL.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, has stated that cricket was not above life for him and he would give it a hard thought before deciding whether to travel to India or not.
Like Oram, many other players may now be reluctant to play in the sub-continent, which has witnessed a number of terror attacks in the recent past.
A decision on whether the Indian Premier League can go ahead with a revised schedule would be taken after the central government discusses the matter with the host states and the Election Commission.
The IPL organisers have conveyed to the Home Ministry that they do not require any central forces for the security.
The new schedule starts from April.10 and ends on May.24. The states where the IPL matches are scheduled to be held are Delhi, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and Karnataka.
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