Maharashtra water crisis: BCCI moves HC to allow May 1 game of IPL in Pune

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has moved the Bombay High Court to allow May 1 match of the IPL between Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians in Pune to be held as scheduled.

As per the media reports, the cricket board is citing logistical difficulties to shift the match out of Maharashtra.

On April 13, taking note of the severe drought situation in several places, High Court had ordered all matches out of Maharashtra from April 30. 

But BCCI later moved the court "post haste" through its "authorised representative" Ratnakar Shetty pointing out that Pune has home matches against Gujarat Lions on April 29 and against MI on May 1. And, how it is "practically impossible" for BCCI and the franchise to shift the May 1 match to an alternative venue outside Maharashtra "and make all the arrangements for the same in just a single day." - according to a report in Cricbuzz.

All the three IPL venues - Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai - had come under scanner after a PIL was filed by the Foundation for Democratic Reforms and Loksatta Movement highlighted that the IPL venues in Maharashtra were consuming 60 lakh litres of water to maintain their respective pitches at a time when the state was going through drought.

At the end of several days of hearing, the HC ordered matches scheduled from April 30 onward to be moved out of the state.

HC also said the water that would have been consumed by the three grounds be supplied to the court-nominated villages in Maharashtra.