Concerned about the security situation in Bangalore after minor explosions and the discovery of a few live bombs outside the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Saturday, the Indian Premier League shifted the two semi-finals of the Twenty20 tournament to the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
"While reluctant to relocate the semi-finals at such short notice, yesterday's incidents have made it clear that the current environment in Bangalore prevents us from continuing with our original plans," IPL commissioner Modi said on Sunday.
"The incidents were assessed by local police and the IPL's security agency as being of a minor nature but they have forced our hand. This decision is naturally disappointing for the people of Bangalore but has been taken with the tournament's best interests, and the interests of its many varied stakeholders, in mind," Modi added.
The two semi-finals were scheduled to be played in Bangalore on April 21 and 22.
The revised fixtures' list means all the knock-out matches, including the two semi-finals, third place play-off and the final will be played the DY Patil Sports Academy stadium in Mumbai.
Two bombs went off outside the stadium before the start of the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. A third bomb, which was found later, was defused by the bomb squad of the Karnataka police later on Saturday, while the police also found another bomb near gate number 7 of the stadium.
The security situation continues to be grim, with Karnataka police discovering another live bomb near the gate No 1 of the stadium and three more packets containing suspicious material on Sunday.
Image: The bomb squad near gate No 12 Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Saturday.
Photographs: KPN photos
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