The Indian Premier League this season has not got off to a great start.
On-the-field the action has been immaculate, but like every season, the countries living conditions and politics have come to hamper the progress of the competition that is in its 9th term.
Over the years, the franchise has gone through a number of changes and this year, thanks to a high court hearing, the schedule of many games are still to be decided.
The Bombay High Court earlier this month summoned the Board of Cricket Control in India to shift all the IPL games that are scheduled to be played in Maharashtra out of the state after the end of this month.
Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur are the three venues that were scheduled to hold a number of IPL games this season but the verdict from the High Court means that the games that were to be played at these venues after the 30th of April will now be played elsewhere.
As a result, the much-awaited final of this season’s tournament is also scheduled to be moved out of the Wankhede Stadium.
It is understood that the Bombay High Court took the decision to shift the IPL games from the state as it is currently in the middle of a water crisis and as the state can in this hard time do away without the mega event.
This decision taken so swiftly was always going to pave the way for more controversy as it is now learned by the IPL franchise from Rajasthan.
Congress leader Rameshwar Dudi who takes a keen interest in the progress of Rajasthan as a state has now asked the IPL to move its games away from the state.
Dudi revealed that the situation in many of the states in India is similar to the one in Maharashtra and added that it was important that every state is treated equally.
“Cricket matches can take place if the situation is favorable. But the drought and water crisis in the state are same as that in Maharashtra, therefore, IPL matches should not be held in Rajasthan,” the leader of opposition said on Tuesday.
He also added that the state did not do enough research into what can go wrong within the state due to the IPL matches and said that it was dangerous for the state that lacks its own resources.
He also added that it was dependent on the Rajasthan cricket academy and that the IPL must be shifted away from the state.
The Sawai Mansingh Stadium is set to be the new home of the Mumbai franchise with up to three matches scheduled this season but it now looks like the authorities will have to find another venue to get the IPL running smoothly.
Gajendra Singh Khimsar, the sports minister of Rajasthan was also involved in this issue and declared that money was not the reason for letting IPL run in their state.
“We are not organising IPL matches to earn money. The funds we will get from the BCCI would be spent to develop a cricket ground here,” Khimsar said.
With more and more controversies clouding the tournament, it will be interesting to see if the IPL can keep up with the slow decline in popularity.