England board were aware of IPL shift plan

It is learnt that the BCCI have already informed their England counterpart about their choice of venues for the Indian Premier League's second season

It is learnt that the BCCI have already informed their England counterpart about their choice of venues for the Indian Premier League's second season. The English board was contacted on Saturday by senior IPL/BCCI officials enquiring about the possibility of hosting the tournament in England. The ECB immediately got involved in internal discussions over the same.

The names of the venues are still not out in the open, but senior BCCI officials informed that it could be in the towns with huge Asian/Indian population. The ECB have problems of their own and some even refer to it as a "huge challenge".

ECB's problems
One of them is the fact that the county season kicks off around the same dates and then they have the England vs West Indies series which starts in May.

The other issue is that the IPL is broadcast on Setanta in United Kingdom, whereas ECB's broadcaster is Sky Sports. All these logistical and technical issues are upfront in the minds of the ECB and will be communicated to the BCCI.

While the ECB is dealing with a few issues at its end, the country's Professional Cricketers Association's (PCA) job has become that much easier. PCA CEO Sean Morris told MiD DAY that he is hoping to hear about the IPL being shifted to England during the course of today. "In the next 24 hours, we will get more details about the tournament and other issues. We all wanted it to go ahead in India, but if they want to shift then I am sure it will be welcomed by everybody here.

The franchises, tournament, the format everything is welcome in England. We all support the IPL and want it to take place. It is anyway a big season in England with the World Twenty20 and the Ashes. This will just add to it," said Morris.

So, is security a non-issue now? "No way, security is an issue whether you play in India or England. It's all over now," added Morris.

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