Talks planned to salvage IPL
England and Wales Cricket Board top brass are set to meet their Indian Premier League counterparts this week, to work out whether they can stage the re-routed Twenty20 spectacular next month.
Following Sunday morning's revelation that the second instalment of the IPL - to be staged between April 10 and May 24 - will have to take place away from India because of security concerns amid elections in that country, England and South Africa have emerged as the potential new hosts.
ECB chief executive David Collier is to fly home from Guyana - where he was watching England in their one-day international series against West Indies - in order to meet IPL officials in London on Wednesday or Thursday.
He will do so having been approached by the Board of Control for Cricket in India just 36 hours ago and insisting a decision must be made as soon as possible on the feasibility of staging IPL matches at such short notice - whether in England or South Africa.
Collier explained: "We have opened up discussions with the BCCI and the IPL within the last 36 hours and we'll be continuing those discussions in the middle of this week - and then we'll be reporting back to our board at the back end of the week.
"Clearly with only three weeks to go to the start of the competition, I think all parties recognise an early decision has to be made."
Many obstacles must be overcome quickly to make an 'English' IPL logistically possible.
The ECB appear optimistic, though, that any possible stumbling block over broadcast interests can be overcome.
Sky will be providing live coverage of England's Test series against West Indies, which begins in early May just as fellow satellite operation Setanta are set to screen the latter stages of IPL.
