Cancellation of matches will be a loss for Maharashtra: Anurag Thakur

Anurag Thakur, the secretary of the BCCI has projected a Rs. 100 Crore loss for the state of Maharashtra should there be a cancellation of the matches in the state. The comments from Anurag Thakur comes shortly after the Chief Minister of the state Devendra Fadnavis said that he was fine with the IPL matches moving out of the state.

“Maharashtra gains Rs 100 crore from IPL and if the tournament goes out of the state, it will be a loss for the state,” Thakur told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai.

The estimate was drawn up by the BCCI following the numbers projected from the 2014 edition of the IPL. The Mumbai Indians lifted their second title in the 2014 edition of the IPL. The issue arises following the in-availability of water in the state. Given the abundance of water required to maintain the pitches, the Chief Minister said that: “we do not have any problem if the IPL is shifted from Maharashtra this season. No potable water will be provided for IPL this year.”

However, Thakur suggestion states that the earnings from the IPL can be used as relief sanctions. The state of Maharashtra will be hosting approximately 18 matches in their Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur venues.

“It is also mulling to adopt drought-hit villages along with the franchises, who have been asked to prepare a report on what else can be done on the drought-mitigation front,” Thakur said.

“The franchises and BCCI will be presenting their side to the Bombay High Court on April 12 during the hearing of a petition on shifting the IPL matches out of the state in the wake of water scarcity,” he said.

“The multi-city event, which is spread over nearly two months, helps the country’s youth find right cricket opportunities and also boosts the tourism sector,” said the 41- year-old BCCI secretary, who is also a Lok Sabha MP.

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