IPL likely to resume on May 16 with LSG-RCB game
Suspended due to the India-Pakistan military conflict, the IPL is set to resume either on May 16 or 17 with the possibility of the final being moved out of Kolkata.
The announcement of ceasefire on Saturday paved the way for resumption of the league that was suspended on May 9 for one week.
The IPL Governing Council members and the BCCI officials discussed the resumption plan on Sunday. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said the board is still working on creating a suitable schedule.
“As of now there is no decision on IPL. BCCI officials are working out on the solutions. BCCI secretary, IPL chairman are in talks with franchises and everyone, so very soon we will know about the decision, efforts are being made to resume the tournament early,” said Shukla.
An IPL source said the league will resume with the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow — the game which was supposed to be played on May 9. For the abandoned game between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala, it is possible that the two teams will be awarded a point each.
“All the teams have been asked to call back their players, the tournament will resume either on May 16 or 17 in Lucknow. The final schedule will be shared tomorrow (Monday),” a source said. “Most likely the matches will be held at four venues and Delhi and Dharamsala won’t get to host more matches. All the equipment has already been removed from these venues,” added the source.
The source also said that there won’t be any change in the venue for Qualifier I and Eliminator that Hyderabad was supposed to host but Kolkata may miss out on hosting the final, most likely on June 1, due to rain forecast on that day in the city.
“As of now there is no change in venues for the playoff stage but it seems rain can affect the final in Kolkata. In that case the final could be played in Ahmedabad,” said the source.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said: “In the next few days, we will begin consultations with the franchises, broadcasters, sponsors and the state associations slated to host the remaining matches before getting to a decision on the league’s resumption. Given that the importance of IPL at this juncture, it will also be prudent and necessary to take the nod of the Government of India before finalising the time for its restart.” —
Punjab Kings coach Ponting disembarks plane after ceasefire announcement
New Delhi: Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting was about to take off for home when the ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into force. The Australian legend had the option to fly back to Australia but he chose not to, making a last-minute disembarkation from the Qantas plane packed with anxious passengers. Ponting stayed back in Delhi. He also ensured that the Kings’ foreign players were convinced about returning to India with the event likely to resume next week. “It shows Ponting’s character. Only he could have pulled that off. Not only did he voluntarily decide to stay back, he gave a motivational talk to the foreign players who had left for their respective destinations but now will be joining the team at the earliest,” Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon said. The anxious batch of players, who had to make a nervous road/train journey from Dharamsala to Delhi following the abandonment of the IPL game on May 8, included Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis and Xavier Bartlett (all from Australia). South Africa’s Marco Jansen and Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai have camped themselves in Dubai which is a short flight from India.
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