IPL battles the PIL onslaught; mulls shifting overseas

According to some recent media reports, the BCCI is planning to shift the IPL franchise overseas next year in the wake of the PILs being filed against the functioning of the league in the recent weeks.

The reports even suggest that BCCI’s secretary Anurag Thakur has hinted that IPL’s next season will likely be played abroad and soon the sporting body will scout for new venues. Even the BCCI treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary had tweeted about it four days back.

Few events early this month triggered this move when the Bombay High Court asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to move all IPL matches in draught-hit Maharashtra after April 30 out of the state while hearing a PIL by NGO Loksatta Movement. Now, 12 matches have been moved out of the state and most of them have been shifted to Rajasthan.  But, the High Court has questioned Rajasthan on its interest to host IPL matches when its condition is worse than Maharashtra. The matter will be heard next week.

IPL has been twice played outside India, both during assembly elections. In 2009, the league was moved for the entire duration to South Africa, while in 2014, it was shifted to the United Arab Emirates for the first 15 days.

The issue generated quite a buzz on Twitter with the Twitterati sharing their candid opinion on the latest IPL issue:

Very soon the IPL may be played outside the country if this goes on :)! Loss to the GDP would not be insignificant https://t.co/ngUnHDM0Pw

— Anirudh Chaudhry (@AnirudhChaudhry) April 17, 2016

https://twitter.com/AnirudhChaudhry/status/721598353524572160

Wary of PILs, team owners open to shifting #IPL outside #India https://t.co/mzOPVIJp7F pic.twitter.com/YPxEBq6qSm

— Nikhil Chopra (@nikhilchopra11) April 25, 2016

https://twitter.com/nikhilchopra11/status/724537029053181952

2017 #IPL to b conducted outside #India? happiest man is #Modi, won't miss a single match? @IPL @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/RifXKhhhCZ

— Bosskey TV (@Bosskey_TV) April 23, 2016

https://twitter.com/Bosskey_TV/status/723784779003518976

the power of #IPL.
can get water in drought.
can break wall on expressway to get to stadium.
MSRDC helpless.
police? pic.twitter.com/WJe0ys5k9E

— Ajit Ranade (@ajit_ranade) April 24, 2016

https://twitter.com/ajit_ranade/status/724078998603599874

#Water is a serious issue but linking it to cricket, #IPL we are trivialising it says #RahulDravid #OTC @theprintindia #DroughtInMaharashtra

— Y P Rajesh (@yprajesh) April 13, 2016

https://twitter.com/yprajesh/status/720270008518057984