England an attractive venue for IPL2: Modi

March 23, 2009

England’s chances of becoming the Indian Premier League host have brightened after IPL chairman Lalit Modi said the presence of a large Asian community makes it an attractive venue for the Twenty20 event, which was shifted out of India owing to security concerns.

“England is a very attractive venue. It is easy to access from India and there is a large Asian community to tap into.

The IPL, is a big competition. We would bring around 100 million dollar of revenue to the British economy and anybody in a recession would want to have us,” Modi, who is due to arrive here on Monday for discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board, told ‘The Daily Telegraph’.

A spokeswoman of the ECB said that a statement would be issued as and when a decision was taken. Modi said the prospect of England hosting the IPL is “very real”.

Cricket South Africa has already submitted a written proposal to Modi and he is awaiting a similar offer from the ECB, the report said.

Keith Bradshaw, chief executive of the MCC, yesterday spoke to Modi to offer Lord’s as a venue.

The ECB’s executive board held a teleconference on the matter on Friday and security issues, the broadcast contract with Sky TV and the hangover from the Stanford debacle were major concerns.

The IPL is due to begin on April 10, the day after the English first-class season starts, and will run until May 24, less than two weeks before the start of the World Twenty 20. It is due to feature five England players including Kevin Pietersen, who has been named as captain of the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

The ECB would need to squeeze in 59 matches and some counties will not want to see their own tournaments getting disrupted for the IPL.

ECB chairman Giles Clarke said yesterday the board “stands ready to help”.

“We have opened discussions with the BCCI and I think there is a strong desire to come to England,” ECB chief executive David Collier said.

“We have opened discussions with Sky and clearly that is one of the things on the agenda. We realise this is an unusual set of circumstances and we expect to have a meeting with the BCCI in the coming week and a decision has to be made soon,” he added

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Jaitley lambasts Chidambaram for IPL’s shift abroad

March 23, 2009

The Indian Premier League’s decision to shift abroad has “almost clubbed” India with Pakistan as an unsafe sporting venue, BJP leader Arun Jaitley said on Monday as he took another potshot at Home Minister P Chidambaram for refusing to assure security for the event.

Jaitley, also the Delhi and District Cricket Association president, said the Home Ministry’s refusal to assure security for the high-profile Twenty20 league has given the country a bad name.

“The impression which has gone is that India is not a safe destination for sporting events. Today, it’s sporting events, tomorrow it maybe other events where crowds gather. It maybe some religious events like Kumbh Mela or Ajmer Sharif function,” Jaitley fumed in a press conference here.

“Therefore the impression that India is a safe destination must be created. Country’s activities don’t come to a standstill merely because elections are being held.

“He must realise that it amounts to giving India a bad name, almost clubbing us with the image Pakistan has. He must concentrate on the job assigned to him,” Jaitley said

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