Govt says no to IPL 7 during elections on security concerns

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has conveyed the government's inability to provide security during the Indian Premier League's season 7 that coincides with the General Elections in the country.

Talking to IBN7 on Friday, the Home Minister said he has informed BCCI about the government's decision. 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.

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"IPL will not be held in India. Due to General Elections, it will be difficult to provide adequate security to IPL matches," Shinde said.

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.