CHENNAI: The next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to begin on March 28 in Bengaluru. Actually, scratch that. The next edition of the IPL is a scheduled to begin on March 28 in Bengaluru but subject to how the situation in West Asia progresses over the next 10 days. In all likelihood, the defending champions, RCB, as has been customary, may have the honour of opening the league but subject to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) implementing the recommendations of the Justice Michael D'Cunha report following the stampede and the strategy during the victory celebrations outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium last year.
So, it's fair to say that the 19th edition of one of the world's richest sporting leagues is facing some headwinds as another season approaches. Outside of geopolitical factors as well as the issue around the Stadium -- some sources have suggested that the Stadium will receive the necessary go-ahead — other factors too may play a role. With elections scheduled to be held in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the Summer, the officials can only announce the fixtures for the rest of the campaign once the Elections Commission releases the dates as well as counting (Assam, too, is going to polls but Guwahati may have already finished hosting its quota of games for the season by then).
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On Thursday night, Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), posted a facebook link on his X. It was a news item. It basically said the secretary was confident that the war wouldn't affect the IPL. His comments came just a few days after the chair of the IPL GC, Arun Dhumal, had told this daily that 'we are reviewing the development'. "Since this is an evolving situation, nothing can be said of now. But we will take a call accordingly."
Whether the BCCI wants or not, the conflict in West Asia could well affect the situation around the IPL. The IPL has shown some robustness in shape-shifting whenever factors have threatened its conduct. In 2009, because of the general elections, they staged the whole show in South Africa. Two editions have been held in the UAE (one can confidently say there's zero chance of hosting it there in 2026) because of Covid. The 2014 edition was staged there for a few weeks, again because of general election. That way, the IPL, irrespective of the body's leadership group, have showed they can adapt and adjust according to the situation.
This time, too, they may have to display that.
While the Indian government have stressed for peace, they have not yet managed to get any major long-term concessions with respect to the flow of energy products via the Strait of Hormuz. Why is it that important? The narrow stretch of water is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, with 20% of the world's energy needs flowing through it. From an India perspective, they import over 80% of their energy needs via this Strait. If they cannot get any concessions from the Iranian government, the country will begin to feel the pinch as supply chains begin to dwindle.
They have managed to get permission from the US government to purchase Russian oil already in the market but that's only for a month. So far, the authorities have stressed for calm, maintaining that there's enough supply. But they have also put in place a tiered priority system.
In it, Industrial and commercial consumers — star hotels and restaurants, for example — have been placed in Priority Sector IV. And they will receive only 80% of their average consumption. And when IPL teams come calling, they usually consume a lot of energy. Some of them are over 100-strong including families of players and an army of support staff. They generally tend to take over entire floors. Hotels may not have the capacity to cater to their demands for over two months if supply chains are badly hit already.
That's just one of the many ways the IPL could feel the energy pinch in the next two-and-a-half months.
The Indian government has maintained there's enough refined fuel stocks to tide over the crisis but scenes in petrol bunks in a few places across the country has led to some fears of an upcoming fuel crunch. In several petrol bunks in Chennai, they had run out of petrol. It forced several firms to issue advisories, advising citizens to not panic. Some reports have stated that the country has stocks worth at least 50 days.
But it's clear that supply chains have been hit and the war is not showing any signs of reaching a conclusion. If anything, the US and Israel have amped up rhetoric over the last 24 hours, including attacking Kharg, one of Iran's most important oil resources. In such a scenario, how much crude will enter India in the days and weeks ahead?
Why is crude important to the running of the IPL? A one sentence answer are floodlights. According to some associations, venues where IPL is scheduled to be held in the first two weeks, they need at least 2500-3000 litres of diesel to ensure continuous and uninterrupted use of floodlights for all night matches. In case there's a supply shock to the system, it may create significant challenges to play night games or even evening games. With Indian summers very harsh, starting games at 1.00 PM may be out of the question.
Outside of floodlights, resources are needed to keep a Stadium functioning during the 75-day gala. This newspaper has already reported how some of the caterers are planning the bracing up to manage gas crunch. Using of tandoors, electric stoves and grills are some of the alternatives they are exploring. Some even said that the menu would change and fry items will be replaces by tandoor and grilled items.
Also keep in mind the distress calls made by small businesses and restaurants. Some of these same restaurants, as well as other hotels, usually set up stalls to feed the over 30,000 people who move through the turnstiles on an everyday basis for two months. Will they be able to source commercially available LPG to keep that running? Answers to this may be known later this month.
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On Friday, Gudakesh Motie, the West Indies spinner, opted out of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL). Motie, one of the players who was stranded in India till a few days ago, had just reached his place. It's not yet known if that was his primary reason but it begs the question. What about the IPL-bound West Indies players who were part of the World Cup? Will they be able to come back in time for the opener on March 28? This may sound like scaremongering but at least one commercial airline has cancelled all flights from London to Abu Dhabi indefinitely.
Other airlines may take a call to cancel flights to West Asia. Of course, the IPL has the financial bandwidth to operate charter flights from Africa and Europe but this is a new development to keep in mind.
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By all accounts, it's been business as usual inside IPL HQ. Teams have started the final leg of their pre season camps, new jerseys have been stitched and franchises have already announced plans in the lead up. At JioHotstar, employees are planning as usual. There is an air of calm authority. Before long, all the camera equipment will be in place. The players should be there. Will diesel and gas follow them?
The million dollar question.
