IPL schedule still unknown

The Indian Premier League has failed to agree with home ministry officials about when the second edition of the Twenty20 series will take place.

The Indian Premier League has failed to agree on a schedule for the second edition of the Twenty20 tournament after another meeting with home ministry officials today. The ministry, which is in charge of internal security in the country, had asked the IPL to revise the original dates of the tournament as it will clash with general elections. That has created concerns about the ability of the paramilitary to provide adequate security for both events. General elections in India are spread over five days between April 16 and May 13, cutting significantly into the IPL's schedule which runs from April 10 to May 24. Last week the IPL had submitted a fresh schedule, but the home ministry again rejected their proposal with several state security chiefs saying they could not provide security.

Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary, N Srinivasan, refused to divulge details of today's meeting or say when the dates of the tournament could be expected. "We have had discussions with the home ministry," Srinivasan said. "The home ministry have expressed their concerns which they explained in detail. "We have also explained our difficulties and expressed our own concerns and the importance of the tournament to all the various stakeholders," he said. The meeting had lasted close to two hours. *PA Sport