Security issues force govt to dump IPL 7 during LS election

The Home Minister said on Friday that he had informed about the government decision to the BCCI. As a result, the Indian board will now have to move either part or whole of IPL 7 out of India, with South Africa and UAE in the race to be the alternate destination. "IPL will not be held in India. Due to General Elections, it will be difficult to provide adequate security to IPL matches," Shinde said.

Also read: Vijay Mallya's IPL splurge: Can he afford the luxury?South Africa was the venue for IPL in 2009, when the league moved out of India due to the same reason, and SA's infrastructure and past experience makes it the frontrunner to host the 2014 edition. IPL Chairman Ranjeeb Biswal also suggested SA could be the alternative. "We had a discussion about this [shifting IPL 7 out of India]. We were preparing ourselves for other venues. Home Minister has clarified it's difficult to provide security. We will go ahead with another venue. South Africa is one of the options," Patel told IBN 7. Also in the running as alternate venue are UAE, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The IPL has tentatively been scheduled between April 9 and June 3, while the Elections are also expected around the same time.