IPL Season Could Be Canceled If Revised Schedule Is Rejected

The fate of cricket's Indian Premier League (IPL) season for '09 "hangs in the balance" after IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi "submitted a revised schedule to officials at the Indian home ministry," according to Simon Briggs of the London TELEGRAPH. Modi has been asked to "postpone the tournament" by India Union Minister of Home Affairs Palaniappan Chidambaram, who is "concerned that the IPL's dates will clash with general elections, which run from April 16 to May 13." But Modi has "offered to move things around so that no game takes place within a three-day period around each individual poll." There is a "concern that Indian security forces will not be able to cope with two such major events running concurrently," and the "exact details of the IPL's security arrangements are sure to come under heavy scrutiny, especially now that prominent contracted players ... have started confessing to doubts over whether they will attend." Briggs notes the IPL last season "suffered from security breaches perpetrated by the same policemen who were supposed to be guarding the grounds." New Zealand player Jacob Oram was the "first player to raise the issue of security at the IPL," as he said that the "events in Mumbai in November and [attacks in Pakistan] this week had raised 'definite questions'" (London TELEGRAPH, 3/5). In London, Barney Thompson cites estimates that put the "total potential losses if the IPL is cancelled" at US$401M, which would put a "huge hole in the business model for the league." Apart from the 10-year, US$1B TV rights deal split between the franchises and the IPL, sponsorship, advertising and gate receipts "could all be affected or even wiped out." Thompson notes major sponsors for the '09 IPL season include Honda, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Vodafone and Kingfisher. Meanwhile, IPL franchises are "nervous because it is unclear exactly how the league's finances -- including players' salaries -- would be affected by a postponing or cancellation" (LONDON TIMES, 3/5).