Cricket grounds in Maharashtra cannot host any Indian Premier League matches after April 30, the Bombay High Court ruled on Wednesday. This means that 13 matches scheduled to be played in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur in May will have to be moved to venues outside the state.
The court observed that if the water that is planned to be used to maintain cricket pitches is diverted to drought-affected areas of the state, the water crisis can be solved to some extent, if not completely, reported ANI. The BCCI today said the cash-rich league is being targetted unfairly
Earlier, responding to the court's query, the BCCI said it will not be feasible to shift IPL matches out of Pune, which is scheduled to host nine games this season. The board said the Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants franchises are willing to donate Rs 5 crore each towards the Maharashtra chief minister's drought relief fund, reported PTI.
The BCCI added that if there is no misuse of drinking water while hosting matches in Maharashtra, it would be wrong to shift the games out of the state. On Tuesday, the Indian cricket board had assured the court that it would only use treated sewage water to prepare cricket venues in Mumbai and Pune during the ongoing ninth season of the IPL.
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