The chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will travel to South Africa and England in an effort to finalize an overseas venue for this year's edition of the Twenty20 competition. The Indian cricket board announced on Sunday that it would stage next month's event abroad after failing to get government clearance for security cover because the tournament dates clashed with the country's general elections. “I'll be visiting both England and South Africa in the next 24 hours,” IPL chief Lalit Modi told Reuters. Modi later told the CNN-IBN channel that wet weather and packed hotel rooms around the London marathon on April 26 were concerns in England. “One overwhelming factor in England is the weather for us,” Modi told the channel. “England have very easy connectivity from eight or nine Indian cities. There are a lot of South Asian fans. “The other big issue in England is already preparing for the Twenty20 World Cup and all grounds are ready. “(But) there is 70 percent chance that rain can disrupt games in the month of May.” The Indian board said the second edition would have to be played on its original dates between April 10 and May 24 due to the cramped international calendar and that they were in discussions with interested boards willing to host the event. However, Modi mentioned the possibility of a second schedule with an April 17 start as the Lord's ground would be unavailable on April 10. England and South Africa are regarded as the front-runners to host the IPL's glitzy games, although the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka are also being considered. Modi said the venue could be finalized by Tuesday night after he concluded his meeting with England cricket authorities. All four prospective host nations will not have a problem adjusting to the IPL's diktat that matches start at 4 P.M. and 8 P.M. Indian time to suit the country's huge cricket-mad television population. But slotting in all 59 matches before May 24 to allow international teams to prepare for the England championship from June 5 will not be so easy. English grounds are preparing for a packed summer program, including the Twenty20 World Cup and Ashes series against Australia. England will also have a Test and one-day series against West Indies running at the same time as the IPL. England could also face pressure from British subscription broadcaster Sky Sports - the rights-holder for the England national team - which would not want those telecasts overshadowed by rival IPL rights-holder Setanta. ‘National Shame' Meanwhile, the decision to move the event overseas for lack of security has been the subject of a national debate in the cricket-crazy country, with some calling it politically motivated. The country's two biggest political parties have traded barbs over IPL's decision, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling it a “national shame”. India's Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram hit back on Monday, saying: “It appears that IPL is more than a game. It is a shrewd combination of sport and business. There is no reason to add politics to this combination.” Chidambaram again defended the government's stance on security for sports events. “I've repeatedly said that cricket or any other game is completely safe when played in India,” he said, suggesting the IPL move had more to do with timing than anything else. “It is disappointing that the IPL has been moved out of India. We will certainly miss playing in front of our supporters. It won't be the same,” Sachin Tendulkar said.
