IPL 2017 in jeopardy of being hosted: Ajay Shirke

Ajay Shirke, the joint secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stated that the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League is in jeopardy of being hosted given the fact that the Lodha panel has put a freeze on the funds available for the board. Recently, the Lodha panel had frozen the bank accounts of the BCCI to stop the amounts of grants given to each state association.

Earlier last month, the BCCI had their bank accounts frozen and threatened to cut short the New Zealand series due to the same. An undisclosed official was also quoted stating that some of the Lodha recommendations made no sense whatsoever.

More recently, the BCCI had written a MoU to the England and Wales Cricket Board begging and pleading them to split the finances with them given the fact that they were in a terrible financial situation.

Ajay Shirke went on to state that the IPL was in danger of taking place. Shirke also went on to state that the officials and the board had already conveyed to the Lodha panel what needs to be done in a bid to organize the premier event.

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Speaking about the IPL, which is scheduled to take place in April 2017, Shirke said, “The 2017 Indian Premier League is in danger. We have no idea whether it’s happening. How can it happen? We’ve already conveyed the details to the Committee on what needs to be done. There’s a long list that we sent to them on the work that’s pending. There’s no time.” This would have to send alarm bells across the various stakeholders, and there is surely set to be an immediate reaction.

The Indian Premier League is perhaps one of the few things that put a lot of money into the board’s fund given the fact that it is one of the most watched tournaments in cricket today.