New Delhi: Bengaluru was on Friday nominated as the fallback venue of the IPL-9 season’s finale along with the first Qualifier in the wake of the Bombay High Court’s order to move all the 13 matches of the T20 tournament scheduled after April 30 out of drought-affected Maharashtra.
Following a meeting here on the day between IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and representatives of the Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians, it was also proposed that the second Qualifier and Eliminator matches be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“We will propose before the Governing Council that Final and Qualifier 1 be shifted to Bengaluru, and Qualifier 2 and Eliminator to Kolkata,” Shukla said after the meeting.
“After speaking to the franchises, we have given them four options: Raipur, Jaipur, Kanpur and Visakhapatnam. Mumbai Indians have asked for time till day after tomorrow (to give their preference). “Pune has given Visakhapatnam as its preference. We will put the proposal of Pune team before the Governing Council,” Shukla added.
Pune are also believed to have asked that they be allowed to play their May 1 fixture — the Maharashtra derby against Mumbai — at home before their remaining matches are shifted away.
Shukla said that the BCCI will plead before the high court to allow the May 1 clash to go ahead in Pune as they will be playing a game in the city against the Gujarat Lions just two days prior. “We will request the court to allow us to hold this match.”
