Sri Lanka likely option for IPL 7 venue due to clash with general elections in India

IPL may shift to Sri Lanka due to elections

The much anticipated 7th edition of Indian Premier League is likely to me moved to Sri Lanka because of the upcoming General Elections in India. The Home Ministry is to ask the BCCI to have the matches played outside the country stating that it was impossible to arrange for the security of the teams during the tournament.

This is not the first time that the Home Ministry has asked the BCCI to have the matches played outside India. In 2009, during the general elections, due to the same reasons the IPL had to be played in its entirety in South Africa.

However, this time around the BCCI wants to have the second half of the IPL matches played at home because they produced higher revenues. The Home Ministry is said to be considering the proposal and deciding on taking a final call based on intelligence inputs on any terror threats.

The Intelligence Bureau is anticipating a higher risk in terms of terror attacks this year.

“After the 26/11 attack we needed to be cautious, but the perception of threat was lower since terrorist groups from Pakistan are not known to carry out back-to-back attacks, especially after an attack of such a large scale. The threat at that time was more from internal groups,” IB officials told Rediff.com.

More than 300,000 security persons are needed to make sure that the general elections go peacefully. Due to this fact, it would be impossible to protect the stadiums, Home Ministry official said.

“We are analysing the situation and will convey the same to the BCCI, who have to have a second plan ready,” added the official.