Final may move back to Mumbai

Biswal gives MCA a list of dos & don'ts

 The impasse over the shift in the IPL venue for the final took a new turn after the league chairman Ranjib Biswal put the ball back in the Mumbai Cricket Association’s court by attaching a few riders in order to get the summit clash back from M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Biswal on Tuesday replied to a protest letter it received from the MCA by attaching a list of dos and don’ts which have been clearly defined in the letter.

“We got a letter from Ranjib Biswal but there are some conditions to host the finals. We have called for a managing committee meeting to discuss these conditions,” MCA vice-president Ravi Savant told PTI.

Biswal confirmed to the PTI that he has replied to the MCA’s letter but refused to divulge the contents of it.

As per reliable sources, the primary condition was BCCI having access to the bulk of the hospitality box passes as they would have a number of high-profile guests arriving from various parts of the world.

This includes some of the ministers of the UAE government, who had helped in the smooth organization of the IPL when it was being held there. 

More hospitality box passes with BCCI means that MCA, which had the monopoly on hospitality box passes, will have to give up their share if they want the final to be back in the first place.

Another of the conditions laid was getting permission from the Mumbai Police to allow bursting of crackers and playing loud music after 10 pm which is not allowed as per state government diktat.

Some of the conditions listed out were no ambush marketing at the stadium, 85 per cent of the car parking with BCCI and limited number of accreditation for the MCA.

Decision deferred

Earlier, the IPL Governing Council deferred their decision over the protest letter it has received from the MCA.

“No decision was taken today (Tuesday),” interim BCCI-IPL president Sunil Gavaskar told the waiting reporters at the BCCI’s headquarters.

Gavaskar, however, did not reveal when the GC would decide to put an end to the impasse.

Stung by the Governing Council’s decision to shift the final, MCA president Sharad Pawar had shot off a protest letter to the IPL GC and all BCCI members demanding the real reason behind shifting the final to Bangalore.

“Considering that 20 matches of the ongoing IPL season were played overseas, the GC took a decision to try and take the play-offs to as many stadiums as possible,” BCCI had said when announcing the revised knock out schedule.