Confusion shrouds Dharamsala’s IPL matches
Dharamsala may or may not host a few Indian Premier League (IPL) games of Kings XI Punjab but Preity Zinta could have helped the team’s cause better. The franchise co-owner’s invite Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for a game seems to have rubbed people in important positions on the wrong way to the extent that the games could be taken away from the hill state.
As of Thursday night, there was no confirmation that the matches will be held in Dharamsala despite claims to the contrary from the franchise.
The confusion started with a Himachal government’s release stating that the chief minister will be present in Dharamsala for the May 7 game between KXIP and Mumbai Indians. The government statement went on to add that the chief minister was invited by Preity.
The HPCA, the official explained, welcomes the chief minister’s presence at an IPL game but the association would have preferred to send the invite itself before the franchise reached out to the head of the state government. Given the fragile nature of the relations between the HPCA and the state government – which had led to the cancellation of the Indo-Pak game of the world Twenty20 – the officials concerned feel things could have been better handled.
Meanwhile, a KXIP sent out a release stating that three IPL games will be held in the hill town but the HPCA officials have maintained that they are yet to receive a proper communique from the BCCI. "We are happy to announce that Kings XI Punjab will be playing our 3 home games in Dharamshala. We are grateful and thankful to Anurag Thakur and the HPCA for their support in helping us make this transition seamless at such short notice," the release said. That is only half the story.
Text messages and calls to IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, COO Ratnakar Shetty and BCCI secretary Thakur did not elicit confirmation or denial over the status of the games but it has been learnt with confirmation from BCCI sources that the the HPCA has informed the franchise about its inability to host the games. It is understood to have cited lighting as a reason for the refusal.
As of Thursday night, there was no confirmation that the matches will be held in Dharamsala despite claims to the contrary from the franchise.
The confusion started with a Himachal government’s release stating that the chief minister will be present in Dharamsala for the May 7 game between KXIP and Mumbai Indians. The government statement went on to add that the chief minister was invited by Preity.
The move has not exactly gone down well with a section of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well as Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), incidentally headed by Anurag Thakur. Thakur himself could not be reached for a comment but a HPCA official said things would have been better if the protocols were followed.
The HPCA, the official explained, welcomes the chief minister’s presence at an IPL game but the association would have preferred to send the invite itself before the franchise reached out to the head of the state government. Given the fragile nature of the relations between the HPCA and the state government – which had led to the cancellation of the Indo-Pak game of the world Twenty20 – the officials concerned feel things could have been better handled.
Meanwhile, a KXIP sent out a release stating that three IPL games will be held in the hill town but the HPCA officials have maintained that they are yet to receive a proper communique from the BCCI. "We are happy to announce that Kings XI Punjab will be playing our 3 home games in Dharamshala. We are grateful and thankful to Anurag Thakur and the HPCA for their support in helping us make this transition seamless at such short notice," the release said. That is only half the story.
Text messages and calls to IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, COO Ratnakar Shetty and BCCI secretary Thakur did not elicit confirmation or denial over the status of the games but it has been learnt with confirmation from BCCI sources that the the HPCA has informed the franchise about its inability to host the games. It is understood to have cited lighting as a reason for the refusal.
