The uncertainty over Rajasthan Royals’ home venue is far from over. The franchise, which returns to the Indian Premier League (IPL) fold after two years, will have to wait at least till January 27 to know whether it would finally play its home games at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur or to shift base to Pune.
The governing council, which met in New Delhi on Monday, decided that a final call on the Royals’ home ground will be taken after the Rajasthan High Court’s hearing on Wednesday (January 24).
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Interestingly, the IPL auctions will also be held on Saturday and Sunday in Bengaluru, so if the venue is decided then, the Royals might plan its team strategy accordingly.
Caught in the in-fighting, the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) was asked by the High Court to make sure that all the 31 district units were united. And following the orders, the members of the RCA had conducted a trust vote last Thursday after which it claimed that there is unity among the members.
However, infighting may continue.
And in such a scenario, the governing council has decided to hold back its decision on the Royals’ home venue till Saturday. “We are waiting for the orders and accordingly a decision will be reached at,” a top BCCI official, who is aware of the development, told Sportstar .
Though the officials remained tight-lipped on the matter, highly placed sources indicated that there is a chance of Jaipur hosting the games because even ‘the Rajasthan government is ready to support the Board’.
“As of now, there is a possibility. But in case Jaipur misses out, Royals will settle for Pune,” the source said.
While it has been decided that Kings XI Punjab will play four of its home games in Mohali and three in Indore, Royals’ wait just got longer.
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