Elections on 5 May could disrupt two IPL fixtures.
An announcement by India’s Election Commission said that polling for the assembly elections in Karnataka will take place on 5 May.
The annual election determines which political party will take legislative power in the state for the next 12 months.
This has raised questions over whether two matches involving the Royal Challengers Bangalore on the 4 and 6 May will now have to be rescheduled.
The city of Bangalore, where RCB play, is situated in the state of Karnataka and therefore the IPL are considering whether it would be more sensible to change the fixture dates.
The Royal Challengers are due to play the Kings XI Punjab on 4 May before hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad two days later.
The issues surrounding the matches taking place on those dates is to do with security, as the sheer volume of people who will be voting and attending the Royal Challengers’ matches may be too much for officials to cope with.
“In case the security officials convey that it would be difficult for them to provide security, we may have to make a minor change to the schedule,” IPL chief executive Sundar Raman said on ESPNcricinfo.
The 2013 IPL season is due to start on 3 April with Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils getting the tournament started at Eden Gardens.
There have already been concerns ahead of the new season though surrounding games being played against the Chennai Super Kings. This is because there have been recent examples of Sri Lankan nationals being attacked in the Indian state of Tapil Nadu – where the city of Chennai is located.
Sri Lanka Cricket have expressed their worries about their cricketers playing in the region and the 12 players registered to IPL sides may pull out of matches in Chennai.
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