Even after agreeing to host three Indian Premier league matches at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Japiur, the Rajasthan State Sports Council (RSSC) is still waiting for the formal go ahead from the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI), the organisers of the cash-rich T20 tournament.
Following the verdict of the Bombay High Court to shift IPl matches out of the drought-hit Maharashtra after April 30, Mumbai Indians have decided to play their three home matches in Jaipur.
After the Bombay High Court order, the suspended Rajasthan Cricket Association had voluntarily proposed Jaipur as the alternative venue and later the state government too had approached BCCI with the proposal to host the matches at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
The BCCI later agreed with Mumbai Indians' choice but asked the Rajasthan government to keep RCA at bay since it was facing suspension for electing former IPl commissioner lalit Modi as its president despite warnings from the apex cricket body.
"The Rajasthan State Sports Council would host the matches but it is virtually impossible to hold matches without assistance from RCA which has possession of the ground, all the equipments and expertise as well. They have agreed unconditionally to help us whenever required," Rajasthan Sports Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar said.
"The BCCI has given us the priority list and also a deadline of May 5 to get all the facilities ready. We have coordinated with RCA also but the formal approval from BCCI is yet awaited," he said.
"A five member committee would be announced on Thursday which would include a government nominee, Mumbai Indians representative, a BCCI representative and two experienced cricket administrators who are not associated with RCA," added the minister.
Asked how the state government had proposed to hold the IPl matches when Rajasthan too had been facing severe water crisis, Khinvsar said, "We have modern water sprinkler system in place in the stadium and ground is kept ready round the year."
High Court dismisses PIl against BCCI
Observing that there is no case put forth before it that the current BCCI President does not enjoy the General Council's mandate, the Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed a PIl seeking a direction to restrain BCCI and Shashank Manohar from making any adverse change which will reduce the Board's revenue share from ICC.
The PIl was filed by former CBI Director R K Raghavan and seven others.
After hearing elaborate arguments by Vijaynarayan, senior counsel for Raghavan, the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh, dismissed the PIl.
"The society works through its elected representatives. The members, in turn, elect those who have to represent the society and their power of the management cannot be curtailed by anyone and everyone wanting to interfere in the same. We do believe this is not a matter where this court should interfere and more so, in exercise of a public interest litigation jurisdiction," the bench said and dismissed the PIl.
Elsewhere, A public interest litigation filed in the C’garh HC here on Wednesday demanded shifting of the two matches of ongoing Indian Premier league from the state capital Raipur because of the drought.
RTI activists Kunal Shukla and Abhishek Pratap Singh have filed the petition which says Chhattisgarh is facing a water crisis and 117 tehsils are hit by drought. There was water scarcity in 70 wards of Raipur Municipal Corporation alone so it would not be right to use the water for IPl matches, said their lawyer Vimlesh Bajpayee.