The Indian Premier League (IPL) is sending officials to England and South Africa to decide which country should host this year’s Twenty20 cricket competition.
“Delegations from IPL will be going to both countries within 24 hours to assess venues and discuss the possibilities and logistics,” IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said yesterday.
A decision on the host was expected within days.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on the weekend it was shifting the tournament offshore because the government had refused to sanction its match schedule. The April 10-May 24 competition clashes with India’s federal elections, causing concern that security forces would be stretched too thinly to cover both events.
The IPL attracts many of the world’s leading players on lucrative contracts.
Some players and officials have expressed concerns about playing on the subcontinent after terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, Pakistan earlier this month.
Seven Sri Lankan Test players, an assistant coach and a match official were among those injured in an ambush by gunmen as the team traveled to Gaddafi Stadium. Six policemen and a driver were killed.
Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram earlier yesterday defended the government’s stance on security for sports events in the wake of the IPL’s decision to move the tournament.
“I’ve repeatedly said that cricket or any other game is completely safe when played in India,” Chidambaram said. “The question is when the matches should be played. Should they be played when the elections are in full swing?”
Elections for the Indian Parliament’s lower house will take place across the country in five different phases between April 16 and May 13. The government wanted IPL organizers to delay the tournament, but that would have been impractical with the Twenty20 World Cup scheduled for June in England.
“Holding matches outside India is their [the BCCI’s] decision. I don’t wish to make a judgment on that,” Chidambaram said. “Cricket is a game. In India, it’s a hugely popular game. However, it appears IPL is more than a game, it’s a shrewd combination of sport and business.”
“There’s no need to add politics to this combination,” he said.
Chidambaram said the cricket board’s statement obliquely criticized the government, even though it was the state security agencies that raised the most concern about match scheduling.
“The schedule substantially overlapped the election schedule, when we found that we conveyed our views to the IPL organizers,” Chidambaram said. “Every state that has expressed its reservation, saying they could provide security after the elections are over.”
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS