The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Indian Premier League (IPL) functionaries are likely to get clarity on the Union Home Ministry’s position next week of its readiness to spare adequate and satisfactory security personnel for the Pepsi-IPL-7 in India in April-June. General elections-related circumstances in 2009 did not guarantee security cover for the season II matches and hence the BCCI took the much-hyped IPL to South Africa. But although in like situation five years later, the BCCI and IPL officials do not want to second guess the outcome of the meeting between them and the Union Home Ministry.
Ranji Biswal, Chairman IPL and the Congress party’s successful candidate in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha told `The Hindu’ that things would become clear after the meeting next week with Home Ministry officials and probably the Home Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde.
The BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel told this newspaper that all franchisees are keen and eager to play the full 2014 season in India. ``But they obviously prefer South Africa as an alternative venue because they have played there before, know the infrastructure available there and how to network. This is the impression I get after talking to majority of the franchisees,’’ said Patel.
The BCCI overshot the expenses in 2009 by around Rs. 100 crore because it defrayed a heavy chunk of the travel and board logistics for all the eight teams and also incurred higher costs for moving all personnel and machinery required to conduct an event of large scale in several cities in South Africa. The gate receipts in South Africa were equally disbursed among the eight teams because the home and away matches format was not in play.
According to rough estimates majority of the franchisee teams like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders have averaged ticket-sales revenue of around Rs.40 crore from their eight home matches when the competition has been played in India and hence the BCCI would have to work out an adequate compensation package in the event of scheduling a large part of the IPL season 7 overseas.
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