The Bombay High Court has given it's permission to the BCCI to host the May 1 IPL match between Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians at
the MCA stadium in Pune.
Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India had moved the Bombay High Court for allowing the May 1 match of the IPL to be held as scheduled.
The board had cited logistical differences in organizing that particular match outside Pune as the Rising Pune Supergiants has home matches against
the Gujarat Lions on April 29 and against the Mumbai Indians on May 1. The BCCI's authorized representative, Mr. Ratnakar Shetty, pointed out to the court that it was -
“
practically impossible for the BCCI and the franchise to move a match which is at such a short gap from the previous one and make
all arrangements for the same in just a single day.
”
The BCCI pleaded with the court on these grounds and has now got the go-ahead for the match.
Previously, the Bombay High Court had ordered the BCCI on April 13 to move all IPL matches after April 30 outside Maharashtra, as the state is
reeling under the worst drought it has faced in the past 5 years. This move had inconvenienced both the Mumbai Indians and the Rising Pune Supergiants
who have their home grounds in the state. The move had also come under severe criticism from previous cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid,
who felt that the IPL was being targetted.
Since then, the Mumbai Indians have chosen Jaipur and the Rising Pune Supergiants have chosen Vishakhapatnam as their home bases.