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Drought forces IPL schedule reshuffle

Crippling drought in the Maharashtra region has prompted India's courts to order cricket venues be closed and matches – including the IPL final - relocated

The exhaustive water demands of maintaining cricket fields prompted to the Bombay High Court on Wednesday to order all Indian Premier League matches scheduled to be held in Maharashtra be shifted out of the drought-ridden state.

The ruling affects Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, and comes into force from April 30. The High Court ruling means 13 IPL matches – including finals scheduled in Pune and the season's showpiece grand final in Mumbai – will now all need to be hosted elsewhere.

"It will be better off that matches are held outside the state," the High Court ruling said. "We cannot ignore the plight of the people. State government has to monitor whether what has been assured is being done".

BCCI legal counsel said the Mumbai Indians and Pune Supergiants franchises were willing to pay Rs5 crore (approximately A$1M) towards a drought relief fund. 

But the High Court rejected the offer, preferring to shift the matches to another state in order to cease the water demands for the venues and allow authorities to begin addressing the drought situation in Maharashtra.

Organisers had also indicated that recycled sewage water would be used for maintaining the grounds for matches in Mumbai and Pune but the High Court had discarded all BCCI recommendations.

The drought is having a devastating affect on India's villages and farming communities, with trains laden with water tankers now arriving daily. Dams are reported to be as low as two per cent full in several regions.

It is believed organisers had already put cities Kanpur, Indore and Ranchi on standby as alternatives venues for the Mumbai and Pune franchises while the Kings XI Punjab games scheduled for Nagpur will be moved to Mohali.