Modi offers 5000 passes for IPL semis, finals to MCA

Mumbai, Sat, Mar 20 2010 - Mumbai Cricket Association chief Sharad Pawar said that IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has clarified the stand over the non-issue of passes for league matches to the MCA and offered 5,000 passes for semifinal and final of the Twenty20 event.

"I had a talk on this issue with the BCCI President (Shashank Manohar) and IPL Chairman (Lalit Modi). Modi has cleared a few things," Pawar said at MCA's Annual General Meeting (AGM).

"The opening match between (Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders) did not belong to Navi Mumbai but to Deccan Chargers as it was originally scheduled at Hyderabad and was shifted here only due to the Telangana violence.

"Hence, the IPL could not provide passes on time as they themselves received the passes late," he said.

"The IPL and the Board have taken this issue seriously and Modi has offered to provide our members with 5,000 passes in advance for the semifinal and the final matches," Pawar said.

On matches hosted by the Mumbai Indians, Pawar said that the IPL franchisee had directly approached the Cricket Club of India and hence MCA could not get the 20 per cent passes reserved for the host association.

"This has happened because we do not have our stadium as it is under-construction. The phase is transitory and for this year only as once we have our stadium, nobody can deny us our share of 20 per cent seats," he added.

Meanwhile, addressing the AGM, MCA treasurer Ratnakar Shetty said that the court has refused relief to petitioners of a PIL which contended that permission for revamping of the Wankhede Stadium has been given without considering the environmental issues.

"Recently, the judges visited the site and said that MCA was not wrong in construction and refused to grant relief to the petitioners. Besides, the judges have also asked the Railways to issue an NOC. We are expecting an NOC from Railways in a week," he said.

An NOC is required from the Railways for the construction of the stadium as construction is not allowed within 30 metres of the railway track, he said.