The Bombay High Court has asked the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India to shift Indian Premier League matches from Maharashtra due to the recent drought problems. 

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday required a direction to the IPL chairman to pay tax on usage of water, claiming that about 60,000 litres of water would be needed every day to maintain the pitches.

The Bombay High Court said, 

“

How can you waste water like this? Are people more important or IPL? How can you be so careless?

”

The Maharashtra Cricket Association, however, argued that it purchases water for its use and also that this water is non-potable or water you cannot drink.

The tournament is scheduled to start on Saturday (April 9) with three Maharashtra cities - Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur - scheduled to host IPL matches. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla on Tuesday ruled out shifting matches out of Maharashtra. "As far as the question of drought, water is concerned, we are with the farmers of Maharashtra, we are ready to help in all possible ways," Shukla stated.

It remains to be seen how the BCCI will respond to this. As the IPL shifts closer to closer to the commencement date, it will be tougher to shift 19 matches out of Maharashtra to different venues.