BCCI calls for emergency meeting on IPL

The BCCI is likely to take a final decision on hosting the IPL during an emergency working committee meeting in Mumbai on Sunday. At an informal meeting held today in the city, Lalit Modi the IPL chairman, briefed various members of the board including former president Sharad Pawar, president Shashank Manohar and the secretary N Srinivasan.

"The working committee will be discussing the IPL schedule tomorrow," Modi said. He pointed out that the situation regarding the second edition would be assessed and a likely decision was expected by noon tomorrow. Modi would then be meeting with the various franchise owners once the BCCI meeting was over.

The non-availabilty of central paramilitary forces in certain states for the IPL matches, due to the upcoming general elections in the country, has cast a cloud over staging the second season of the tournament. Some of the options for the IPL, beginning on April 10, are having a packed schedule - with up to three matches in a day - and shorten the tournament, and/or restrict the matches to states that are willing to provide security for them. IPL officials however, refused to comment on whether there would be a truncated version of the tournament.

"We are ready for any eventuality, and have 42 different schedules prepared. Everything will be discussed and finalised at the meeting tomorrow," Modi said.

The IPL schedule is likely to be finalised early next week with India's home minister P Chidambaram travelling to Chennai this weekend, even as the central government waits for written feedback from the states slated to host the IPL matches - only two have responded so far - to take a final call.