IPL moved out of India.

Shashank Manohar: "I apologise to the people of India for moving the tournament out. But we're are going ahead with the event so that they can at least watch the event on television."


England and South Africa have emerged as the front-runners to host the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the BCCI decided to shift the tournament out of India. The decision followed days of inconclusive negotiations with the Indian home ministry and various state governments over the security arrangements for the 45-day tournament which clashed with the forthcoming general elections in India.

Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said the tournament had been relocated "because of the extraordinary situation existing this year."

While Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa's chief executive, said South Africa were ready to host the tournament if needed, an ECB spokesman told Cricinfo that the board was aware of the situation, and that it would be making a statement in due course. David Collier, the ECB chief executive, is currently in Guyana ahead of the second ODI against West Indies.

Discussions between the BCCI and the respective boards will get underway and a decision is likely in two to three days.

N Srinivasan, the BCCI general secretary, said that the BCCI was not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the second edition of the IPL. "It is a matter of great regret that, in the prevailing atmosphere, where the government is expressing concern for providing security to the IPL matches, the BCCI is left with no other option but to conduct the Indian Premier League in another country," he said.

Manohar said the board considered all aspects of the matter at an emergency meeting. "We are aware that the people of India love this event and have given us great support last year and are eager for this year's event," he said. "We made our best efforts to see that the event takes place in India. However, because of the government's attitude that they cannot provide security, particularly by the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, we were forced to take a decision to move the event out of India.

"We are in discussion with other boards who have show their willingness to hold the event in their respective countries.

"My apologies to the people of India for not being able to hold the event in India."

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, who was present at the working committee meeting said there will be no changes made to the tournament's format or the schedule. "Dates and timings of the matches will remain the same. The Indian audiences can watch the matches at 4 pm and 8 pm IST as they did in the inaugural season," he said.

He assured that that the IPL would not cut any corners despite hosting the event outside the country. However, he refused to dwell on the revenue sharing agreement with the prospective foreign boards and pointed out that the tournament's focus was to provide the best possible entertainment for the Indian fan.

"We are not bothered about the cost factor but the issue is the integrity of the tournament. The issue is holding all 59 matches as scheduled," Modi said.

Manohar also said the BCCI officials would be having a discussion with the eight franchise owners and believed they would not have any objection. "We will hold discussions with the owners. I don't think the franchises would oppose us," he said.

"We are happy the IPL is happening", Nita Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians said. Vijay Mallya, who owns the Bangalore Royal Challengers, said he was happy the tournament was on. "We have been assured the rights and interests of all franchises will be protected," Mallya said.

Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association, also welcomed the prospect of the tournament carrying on. "Our members want the IPL to proceed provided the safety of the teams is not compromised," he said. "Given the current situation in India, the decision to move this year's event is a sensible one and will likely maximise player participation."

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