Published: Apr 30, 2016, 06:06 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 30, 2016, 06:06 AM (IST)
Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) today said Kings XI Punjab are not willing to play in Dharamsala as they have not received any positive response from the state government. HPCA public relations officer Sanjay Sharma said that after waiting for HP government’s reply for the last nine days, Kings XI Punjab wrote a letter yesterday to Rajeev Shukla and said they want their three matches to be played in Mohali now and not Dharamsala. Sharma said, “The government did not give any security assurance in 2014, as a result the matches went to Cuttack. Kings XI made Cuttack their home ground. And in 2015 they had to choose Pune as their home ground. Now when Pune has its own team, Kings XI faced problem with the ground and had opted for Nagpur as their second ground. Due to water scarcity, matches were shifted outside Maharashtra and they approached us. READ: IPL 2016: Mumbai Indians to play rest of home matches at Visakhapatnam
“They wanted Dharamsala to be their venue for the next three matches. On behalf of HPCA, we wrote a letter to the CM of Himachal on April 21, asking for his written consent. But no reply came from the government till date.” Sharma further said, “Yesterday Kings XI Punjab team owners called up Rajeev Shukla that they want their three matches to play in Mohali and not Dharamshala.” IPL 2016: Revised schedule with new venues
Earlier, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday announced the revised schedule for the remaining matches of the ninth season of Indian Premier League (IPL). There has been a lot of talks about the matches scheduled to happen in Maharashtra. The state government, looking at the condition of the state, declared that no potable water will be provided to water the grounds and BCCI was asked by Bombay High Court to move their matches slated in the month of May to shift to some other venue. The state is home to three grounds that host IPL matches, including Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, Maharashtra Sports Association Stadium, Pune and Vidarbha Sports Association Stadium, Nagpur.
