It was always on the cards, given the incessant and heavy downpours in Manipal, that the Manipal University ground would not be in any condition to host any competitive cricket, and BK Ravi, one of two KSCA assistant secretaries, merely confirmed that through a press release.
The other assistant secretary, Sudhakar Rao, inspected the ground on Saturday and relayed the information back home that the ground was not in playable condition, forcing the organisers to cancel the Manipal outing and restrict the KPL’s foray outside Bangalore to only Hubli, for six matches from September 25 to 27.
Earlier, the Mysore matches too had been moved back to Bangalore. The City of Palaces, which was to host the semifinal and finals of the T20 league, was shelved as the KPL venue owing to sponsorship issues. In fact, the tournament had received great support from Mysoreans in the inaugural year.
The revised schedule for September 22-24 at Chinnaswamy stadium: September 22: Provident Bangalore vs Mangalore United (2.45 pm), Belagavi Panthers vs Shamanur Davangere Diamonds (6.30 pm).
September 23: Mangalore United vs Malnad Gladiators (2.45 pm), Bijapur Bulls vs Mysore Maharaajas (6.30 pm).
September 24: Provident Bangalore vs Malnad Gladiators (1.45 pm), Bangalore Brigadiers vs Shamanur Davangere Diamonds (5.30 pm).
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