Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam to host IPL matches too

Mumbai, March 10 (IANS) The second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will also see matches in Ahmedabad and Visakhapatnam in addition to the eight cities where they were held last year, IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said Tuesday.

Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh is also being considered as a new venue, Modi told a press conference here.

Besides these three cities, the IPL governing body is evaluating other possible venues such as Nagpur, he added.

Last year, matches in the first edition of IPL were held in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi, Chandigarh and Jaipur.

Modi reiterated that the IPL would start next month though fears had been expressed about availability of security personnel since the general elections would be held in April-May.

But the IPL chief declined to provide the new dates for the matches. 'We are still working on the revised schedule. It is a cumbersome process,' he said.

Modi added that the opening and the closing ceremonies of the Twenty20 league will be held at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.