IPL to be hosted outside India

Giving in to security concerns and clashes of tournament dates with the general elections in India, the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is being shifted out of India

In a major disappointment for cricket lovers all over India and the sub-continent, the President of the cricket board in India, Shashank Manohar, said the the tournament will be relocated. England and South Africa are the front-runners to host the tournament during the same dates as decided earlier. A final decision on the venue is expected in the coming week. The tournament scheduled for April and May clashes with the general elections in India. The Indian home ministry and the state governments have repeatedly told the IPL organizers that they will not be able to spare sufficient security forces for the cricket tournament. Security concerns for cricket players in the sub-continent have heightened after the recent attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan. Multiple rounds of discussions between the organizers and the government have been unsucessful. Two itineraries submitted by the organizers were rejected by the state governments of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh due to proximity of the dates with the elections. The IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi stated that the whole tournament including the finals will be held outside India.

"We explored all the possibilities of moving the semi-finals and finals to India but it would have been too exhausting for the players",

Modi said. The first season of the Indian Premier League was a huge success and the same is expected from the second leg. The change in the venue may impact fan following in the Indian sub-continent.