Frustration writ large over the faces of cricket buffs as their last hopes of the IPL reversing its decision on shifting the semi-finals to Mumbai went in vain. The refunds were only a minor consolation for them as it could not compensate for the thrill of watching the match between Bangalore and Mumbai teams.
Umesh, a resident of Malleswaram said he was extremely disappointed as he had planned to watch both the semi-finals at Bangalore along with his family and friends. “I had bought 34 tickets. But now we will have to console ourselves by watching the matches on television,” he said.
Chandran from Chickpet could not comprehend the logic behind the shift in venue. “The blasts were of a very minor nature and the police had done a brilliant job thereafter. Is there any guarantee that such blasts would not happen in Mumbai? There was no need to shift the venue for such small incidents”, he felt.
Complaints
Meanwhile, Karnataka State Cricket Association officials said they had received complaints on the refund arrangements. “We did hear of complaints for having fewer counters and no shade to stand. But our hands are tied,” said one KSCA member.
DNA Networks which is handling the sale and refund of tickets for the IPL is said to have stated that the refund counters at Gate Number 9 is best left to be handled by them.
The KSCA believes that few people came on Tuesday to collect their refund and the maximum are expected to on the next four days.
Rajashekhara, a police constable said Karnataka had one of the best police forces in the country.
The timely manner in which the entire situation was handled showed their efficiency, he pointed out. “We have the resources to tackle any crisis situation,” he added.
Venue shifted for ‘other’ reason: Acharya
Home Minister V S Acharya has maintained that the shift in venue for the IPL semi-finals from Bangalore to Mumbai was not on account of security but “other” reasons.
“It is for them (IPL) to answer and not me as to why the matches were shifted,” Acharya told presspersons here on Tuesday. The minister refused to rule out the possibility of a betting syndicate behind the move.
Acharya said the incident did not appear like the handiwork of terrorists. However, he said that he was not attributing the incident to any particular reason and all angles were being looked into during investigation.
Acharya also said the decision to go ahead with the match after the blasts was one of the “wisest decisions” taken by the police. “Ultimately, the people in the stadium were safe and even enjoyed the game. A panic situation would have prevailed in the event of cancellation of the match resulting in stampede or other unfortunate incidents,” he reasoned.