BCCI still keen on staging IPL matches in Pune

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IPL franchisee Sahara may have put in a request to shift home matches to Ahmedabad or Kanpur for the upcoming season, but some Indian cricket board (BCCI) members are still keen on staging the matches in Pune, the original home ground of the Pune Warriors.

BCCI sources said the IPL governing council will take a call on the issue soon. There are concerns that taking IPL matches out of the city will dent the image of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), which is headed by BCCI treasurer Ajay Shirke.

The board is working out a formula to diffuse the tension between Sahara and the MCA. It is learnt that Sahara, after paying Rs 100 crore, is not keen to stay on in Pune and stage matches at the 'mercy' of MCA officials.

"We are trying to work out a solution," a top board official said when asked about the ongoing tussle between the two groups. Sahara has paid money for title rights to the stadium too and the group isn't willing to compromise further.

Sahara's demand is simple: if the group has paid so much money to complete the stadium in time for last year's IPL, their members should be included in the committee that looks after the organization of non-international matches hosted by the association. The row started last year after MCA terminated the Sahara contract over payment issues.

"Pune team was launched with a lot of fanfare and all the matches were sold out. If the city doesn't host IPL matches this year, it will be a huge blow to the city as well as to the association," a BCCI official said.


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