IPL to look at additional venues

The IPL will be held as scheduled from April 10 to May 24 but with a revised itinerary and, if necessary in additional venues within the country, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, has said. The changes will accommodate the blackout dates in specific venues on the days there is polling in that city or that state, and on May 16, the day of counting across the country.

Modi's statement follows an assurance from P Chidambaram, India's home minister, on Friday that security would be provided for IPL matches though the dates would have to be reworked to avoid a direct clash with general elections in the country.

The IPL had already sent a revised schedule to the home ministry and Modi said that the final match dates will be announced soon. "We are in touch with all states and will shortly have a new schedule out," Modi told reporters in Mumbai after an internal meeting of the BCCI which runs the IPL. "Let me assure fans and sponsors that the IPL is on and there is no question of the IPL moving to another country. We are working on a new schedule, it's a cumbersome process. What we have decided is that there will be no match in any city on the day of counting there."

Modi suggested that, if necessary, the IPL may be held in additional venues - it was originally scheduled to be held in nine venues - and said a detailed meeting on the tournament's security would be held next week. "We have currently 14 cities available for hosting matches," he said. "We are fully prepared on security and will have a detailed briefing next week."

As per the revised schedule, the opening match will now be held in Mumbai, instead of Jaipur, sources said.

The IPL is currently in discussions with India's security officials to resolve the clash in dates amid growing anxiety among the league's foreign players over the security measures for the tournament following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

Earlier on Friday, Chidambaram said in Hyderabad that the government would ensure that the IPL is provided security. "We are not against holding the IPL and I have never said that the tournament should be postponed," Chidambaram said. "All we have asked for is the dates to be rejigged. We are also awaiting a response from the states on the issue."

India's Home Ministry, which had initially wanted the tournament to be postponed, has forwarded the IPL's revised schedule to the eight states that were originally scheduled to host the matches. Conflicting reports have emerged in the Indian media on their feedback.

The Times of India claimed that police officials from six of the eight states were apprehensive about whether they could provide adequate security for the IPL. However, the Indian Express suggested that West Bengal, New Delhi and Punjab would be able to provide security for the tournament, Maharashtra and Karnataka are still evaluating the situation, Rajasthan has asked for more central forces and Tamil Nadu has suggested that the tournament be postponed. The central government will make a final assessment of the situation after receiving an official response from the states.