The issue of the central government deputing its security forces for the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the general elections remains a grey area for the prestigious Twenty20 format tournament organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The 45-day IPL tournament is scheduled to be played between April 10 and May 24 across eight cities. There is an overlap, since the elections are scheduled between April 16 and May 16. Security concerns have arisen following the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore on March 3.
Riding on the tournament are revenues of Rs 1,800 crore, including those from telecast rights, sponsorships and advertising.
The organisers have consistently said they do not need paramilitary forces for the matches; the state police will suffice. The central government, which had earlier urged them to postpone the tournament, think they do need central forces. Today, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Sriprakash Jaiswal, said providing central paramilitary forces in May would be “problematic.” There are elections on May 7 and 13. The counting is scheduled for May 16.
“In April, we have paramilitary forces to spare, but it will be problematic in May. If precautions are taken and advice heeded, the threat to the security of IPL could be minimised,” Jaiswal told reporters today.
IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, however, claimed that he had “in principle” clearances from the governments of all states where the matches would be played. Also, the final schedule is being so arranged that there are no IPL matches in cities where polling will take place.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai today, he made it clear that they would take full responsibility for players’ security and that the security budget would be 10 times more than in the first IPL tournament held last year.
“Security is paramount for us. Players, officials and fans are all very important...this time we have gone venue-by-venue, managing the security centrally. Of course, we will coordinate with the teams,” Modi said.
Elaborating, Modi said, “From the minute a (foreign) player lands in India to the minute he leaves the country, from the minute an Indian player enters the hotel to the minute he leaves, we will be managing the security.”
Modi said IPL was in touch with all state governments to know the dates when matches should not be held. “IPL will be coming out with a revised schedule soon. Ninety per cent of the schedule has been cleared. One state has asked for one date to be changed. We are waiting for five states to get back to us with confirmations,” he said.
Modi said Ahmedabad and Visakhapatnam had been added to the list of venues, in addition to the eight already chosen — New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mohali and Jaipur.
