Hubli ties shifted to Bangalore

The decision to relocate the matches is a direct fall-out of the judgement of the Ayodhya title suit to be delivered by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday.

KSCA assistant secretary BK Ravi held a second round of discussions with Hubli-Dharwad police commissioner RH Auradkar on Wednesday, after which the State association was left with no option but the cancel the matches to have been held at the KSCA stadium in Hubli.

It is learnt that the police authorities said they couldn’t totally guarantee the safety of the players during what is expected to be a sensitive period in the immediacy of the court verdict.

In line with the State government’s decision to declare September 24 and 25 as holidays, there will be no KPL matches on Friday and Saturday, with the result that the final will have to be deferred by a day and be played on October 1.

The two semifinals will be gone through on September 30, the original date of the title round, though the KSCA said in a release from its CEO MP Ganesh that the schedule for the semifinals and the final would be announced shortly.

The loss of two days’ play has forced the organisers to reschedule the ties for the second time in five days. The earlier re-organisation was prompted by the rains that forced the cancellation of the Manipal leg, originally to have been gone through between September 22 and 24.

Revised schedule: Sept 26: Provident Bangalore vs Mysore Maharaajas (11.00 am); Bijapur Bulls vs Shamanur Davangere Diamonds (2.45 pm); Bangalore Brigadiers vs Mangalore United (6.30 pm).

Sept 27: Belagavi Panthers vs United (2.45 pm); Malnad Gladiators vs Brigadiers (6.30 pm).

Sept 28: Maharaajas vs Diamonds (11.00 am); Bulls vs Brigadiers (2.45 pm); Provident vs Panthers (6.30 pm).

Sept 29: Brigadiers vs Diamonds (11.00 am); Panthers vs Maharaajas (2.45 pm); Provident vs Gladiators (6.30 pm). Sept 30: Semifinals (2.45 pm and 6.30 pm).

Oct 1: Final (tentatively).