IS Bindra, a member of the IPL governing council, has ruled out the possibility of moving this year’s Twenty20 extravaganza so it does not clash with India’s general elections in April. Bindra said the IPL would work with the government to find a way to host the tournament, but if that was not possible it would have to be cancelled.

“If the state administrations tell us they cannot handle the security, there is no way we can go ahead,” Bindra, who is also the ICC’s principal adviser, told the Hindustan Times. “But I’m sure it won’t come to that.”

The Indian government has expressed concerns over providing adequate security for the IPL since forces will have to be mobilised for the elections as well. A senior government official told Cricinfo that conducting the IPL during the country’s general elections presented a “near impossible situation” for security forces.

Bindra said the IPL would be advised on security matters by South African security consultants Nicholls, Steyn & Associates, who were brought in after the Jaipur blasts during last summer’s tournament. “We implemented their suggestion that control rooms, normally located in basements in Indian stadiums, were moved to places from where security supervisors could have a complete view of the grounds. It’s a detail that makes matters more foolproof.

“What they do is advise us on formulations and the overall security plan. Like whether a particular hotel is secure, how to best protect the teams etc.”

Bindra said the governing council had felt the security template for the Chennai and Mohali Tests between England and India, following the Mumbai terror attack, was very good. However those who have to provide the security aren’t too confident about it.

Kolkata police commissioner Gautam Chakraborty said he had requested the city’s IPL franchise to change the dates of matches during the polls. “All political parties will be doing their poll campaigning during that time,” Chakraborty said in the Kolkata-based Telegraph. “Then the Knight Riders match on May 13 clashes with Kolkata polling day. Also, there are two matches in between April 30 and May 7. It doesn’t matter that polls on these days will be conducted outside Kolkata. City police personnel are also deployed in the districts during polls.

“After the Lahore incident, we cannot take any chances. There will be multi-layered security checks. We are also trying to convince the concerned authority to sell match tickets online to avoid scuffles outside the ticket counters.”

Ardhendu Sen, the state’s home secretary, said holding IPL matches on the days of the polls was out of the question. “As far as security arrangements for matches on other days, it would be up to the police commissioner to decide,” Sen said.
Source:cricinfo.com