Kolkata: The countdown has begun for the Indian Premier League season 12. Ahead of that two-time Champions Kolkata Knight Riders have started their training at the Jadavpur University campus on Wednesday. During the General Lok Sabha Election this is the first time that IPL will be held in India. The BCCI has already released the dates of matches for first couple of weeks and the further schedule will be released in a few days time.
The IPL authority are facing problems about finalizing the schedule due to the Lok Sabha Elections as the dates of poll are from April 11 to May 19. In West Bengal there will be seven phases of election procedure and that’s why KKR may not get the home advantage at that time. If that happens they may play a few home matches from Ranchi, Cuttack, Guwahati or Indore. KKR CEO Venky Mysore is still hopeful that they would be able to play most of the home games at the Eden Gardens.
“We have had some good meetings with the authorities concerned today. We are waiting for some clarification. I think they (authorities) are keen to ensure that we play in the Eden. If all goes well, we will play our home games here only,” Mysore told reporters after KKR’s first practice session here.
The IPL will start on March 23 and end on May 12 while the general elections are slated to be held between April 11 and May 19.
Since West Bengal will have elections in all seven phases, there is a possibility that some of KKR’s home matches will be shifted to neutral venues.
As per the two-week schedule, KKR are playing two home games vs Sunrisers (March 24) and KXIP (March 27) and two away games against Delhi Capitals (March 30) and RCB (April 5).
“Now that the date of the elections have come out, the authorities are taking a hard look at how they can ensure we play as many as matches in Kolkata,” Mysore said.
“In case we cannot play at the Eden, then we have a plan B and plan C ready. We had a meeting today. Let’s see. All our fans as well as the team wants us play at the Eden,” Mysore said.