Indian Premier League

Brabroune likely to host IPL opener

The opening match of the Indian Premier League has been shifted from its original venue Jaipur to Mumbai and hectic parleys are on between the Twenty20 League’s chairman Lalit Modi and the Cricket Club of India authorities to host at the latter’s Brabourne Stadium here.

A meeting between the two parties is scheduled on Monday to narrow down the differences and facilitate the conduct of the league opener at the CCI, according to informed sources.

“There seems to be some sort of give and take planned between the two parties. It’s looking more and more likely that the differences would be sorted out and IPL ties held at the Brabourne,” sources said Saturday.

CCI members had rejected outright when the club’s managing committee approached them with the IPL’s steep demands for playing the Twenty20 ties at the Brabourne which traditionally hosted Test matches in Mumbai from 1948 to 1972.

A proposed Special General Meeting called to change a bylaw of the club, which would have vested the committee with powers to deal with IPL and other parties of this nature, was cancelled due to vehement opposition from the members. Subsequently the plan to change the bylaw was also scrapped.

The cash-rich IPL had approached the CCI after it was decided that the final of the Twenty20 League, scheduled on May 24, would be held in Mumbai.

Tags: Brabourne Stadium, IPL, Mumbai