Dharamsala: In a surprise turn of events, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) in Dharamsala was not included in the list of venues for this year’s IPL matches, with local franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) completely ignoring the stadium for the third consecutive year.
Dharamsala, which was hosting the World T20 qualifiers, had high hopes of bagging a few IPL matches this season but the unfriendly government in the state and the fiasco over security for the Pakistan match ensured that KXIP stayed away from the HPCA.
Mohit Sood, the media secretary of HPCA, said: “We were hoping to get at least three matches but all the things that happened in buildup to the March 19 match may have made the franchise cagey about the venue.” “The state government doesn’t want cricket to grow. They are happy to put HPCA down in whichever possible way. It’s not conducive and also counter-productive and, in a way, brings a bad name to the state and city,” he further added.
The prime reason for the shifting of the March 19 match is being speculated as the tussle between BJP MP and HPCA president Anurag Thakur and Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh. The KXIP have opted for the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium in Nagpur, which will host three matches and rest of the four matches will be played at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali.
Other reasons for not including the stadium in this year’s list are the hefty entertainment tax and other charges charged by the state government for providing security for the matches.
Dharamsala, which was hosting the World T20 qualifiers, had high hopes of bagging a few IPL matches this season but the unfriendly government in the state and the fiasco over security for the Pakistan match ensured that KXIP stayed away from the HPCA.
Mohit Sood, the media secretary of HPCA, said: “We were hoping to get at least three matches but all the things that happened in buildup to the March 19 match may have made the franchise cagey about the venue.” “The state government doesn’t want cricket to grow. They are happy to put HPCA down in whichever possible way. It’s not conducive and also counter-productive and, in a way, brings a bad name to the state and city,” he further added.
The prime reason for the shifting of the March 19 match is being speculated as the tussle between BJP MP and HPCA president Anurag Thakur and Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh. The KXIP have opted for the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium in Nagpur, which will host three matches and rest of the four matches will be played at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali.
Other reasons for not including the stadium in this year’s list are the hefty entertainment tax and other charges charged by the state government for providing security for the matches.
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