Shifting IPL a nightmare for Indian players

The shifting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to either England or South Africa will hardly give 24 hours to the players of the Indian team to pack and leave after arriving home from their successful tour of New Zealand.

The third and final Test will conclude in Wellington on April 7. The team is scheduled to fly out of Auckland next day and return home in the wee hours of April 9 via Hong Kong.

The players are concerned that if the 45-day event is to be held in either South Africa or England, they would be hard-pressed to even catch a nap before catching a flight to the African nation or England.

Some players, whose teams are involved in the inaugural match, could probably be asked by their respective franchisees to fly out to the chosen destination right out of Auckland.

The Twenty20 tournament had to be relocated from India as its itinerary clashes with the forthcoming general elections in India and there were concerns over security, with some state government reluctant to provide security for the players and the fans.

Though Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) both have expressed interest in staging the tournament, the BCCI is yet to decide where the event would be moved to.