Cricket has always been more than just a sport in India - it is entwined with politics, business, Bollywood and much more. A new issue cropped up when concerns were raised about the drought conditions in the state of Maharashtra. It came headlong to hit the IP when the issue was raised by NGO Loksatta Movement, which argued that water was being wasted on cricket pitches.
On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court asked BCCI to move all the matches after April 30th from the three host cities in Maharashtra- Pune, Nagpur and Mumbai. With 13 matches scheduled after the given date, the BCCI has expressed its concern regarding the shift as Pune and Mumbai are to host the playoffs and the final respectively. The BCCI had also offered to contribute to the flood relief measures earlier in other parts of the country, besides ensuring water supply to these areas.
Immediate reactions poured in, with questions being raised about the rationality of the decision by the High Court. The Bench had also said, “Shifting of IPL matches alone won’t solve the problem, but it can be a beginning so that water used for pitches can be diverted to affected areas. However, this is not the first time a tournament or a match had to be shifted from a venue. Here are a few other memorable instances:
#1 Elections cause IPL matches to shift from Kolkata
In the 2015 edition of the IPL, home matches of the Kolkata Knight riders had to be shifted out of the Eden Gardens in Kolkata due to elections. The police had requested the organisers to shift the venue due to security reasons because of the municipal elections in the city. A revised schedule was brought out by the BCCI, which shifted the three matches that had to be played in the big venue between April 15th and 25th.
In recent times, also saw its first phase of assembly elections just 12 hours after the 2016 T20 World Cup between West Indies and England, but it went hassle- free due to the provision of tight security in the city.
#2 India- Pakistan battle shifted from Dharamsala
A stir surfaced just before the India was to take on Pakistan during the recent T20 World Cup. Concerned with the security at the venue, the Pakistan Cricket Board asked for a venue shift from the picturesque ground, after its delegates raised distress with the venue.
Adding to this, the Anti- Terrorist Front of India caused a hullabaloo, threatening to "dig up the pitch" if the match was to be held in Dharamsala. The much- awaited encounter between the arch- rivals was shifted to the iconic Eden gardens, and the Himachal Pradesh government heavily criticised by the BCCI. India went on to win the battle by six wickets, which was laced with a brilliant 55 off 37 from Virat Kohli.
# 3 IPL 2 shifted to South Africa
The second edition of the IPL was completely relocated to South Africa due to the 2009 general elections. Shifting the tournament posed a huge challenge for the BCCI as around 10,000 cricketers and staff had to be moved from India within a span of few weeks.
A $1.63 billion contract was also signed by the BCCI with Multi Screen Media for broadcasting matches live from South Africa. The tournament, which was initially planned to be played in England, was a huge success in the African country and was praised for globalising the game. Deccan Chargers, under the leadership of Adam Gilchrist, lifted the trophy, defeating RCB in the finals held in Johannesburg.
#4 First phase of IPL in UAE, 2014
The first phase of the seventh edition of IPL was shifted to the United Arab Emirates after the Home Minister refused to provide security due to its clash of dates with the 2014 general elections. Twenty matches that were to be played between 16th of April to the 30th were shifted to the U.A.E and were hosted in three stadiums in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The rest of the 36 games and the four play-offs were played in India. Almost every stadium was sold-out in the U.A.E leg as it garnered huge support because of the Indian population in the Middle East. The Kolkata Knight Riders emerged champions that season, defeating Kings XI Punjab in the finals at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore.
#5 M.A Chidambaram stadium tangled in politics
The stadium in the southern city is well-known for its match shifts due to political reasons. Since the Tamil Nadu government was resolute on not letting Sri Lankan cricketers play in the M.A Chidambaram stadium during the sixth edition of the IPL due to the political crisis between the two regions, a change of venue was contemplated by the IPL council, since most of the players in various teams hailed from the country.
After further contemplation, the matches (two playoff games) were scheduled to be played at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. The Chennai stadium was also not given a nod to host any match during the 2014 IPL, due to the board's dispute with the municipal authorities over the three unused stands.
The M.A.C also saw a snub in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, with no men's international match being scheduled at the venue.
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