Bombay High Court allows May 1 match to be held in Pune

The IPL 2016 match between Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians will be held as scheduled on May 1 in Pune, the Bombay High Court ruled on Wednesday. Last week, the court had ruled that all matches after April 30 should be moved out of Maharashtra due to a severe state-wide drought, but it has permitted the match on May 1 to go ahead after an application from the BCCI.

The board had sought permission from the court citing logistical difficulties due to a short turnaround time from the match between Supergiants and Gujarat Lions on April 29. In the application, the BCCI said it was "practically impossible" for the board and Supergiants to shift the match to an another venue outside Maharashtra and "make all arrangements for the same in just a single day". The application also stated stated that the request to permit the match was "bonafide and is being made in the interest of justice" and, if refused, could cause severe prejudice, grave hardship and irreparable damage and injury to the BCCI and Supergiants.

The High Court's ruling to move matches out of Maharashtra in May has affected 13 matches, including the final, which was scheduled to be held in Mumbai on May 29. The ruling also forced Mumbai and Supergiants, the two Maharashtra-based franchises, to look for alternative home venues for the remainder of the season. While Supergiants have listed Visakhapatnam as their alternative venue, Mumbai have picked Jaipur. Bangalore is likely to host the final, while Kolkata is in line to stage the Eliminator and the second Qualifier, both originally scheduled in Pune. The alternative venues need to be ratified by the IPL governing council.