(Cricket news) The home game between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals in IPL, which was originally slated for April 17, has been moved to April 16 due to security concerns raised by the Kolkata police for both the match and the surrounding Ram Navami celebrations. Security officers will also be stationed in Bengal because voting in the general elections of India begins on April 19.

As a result, the Gujarat Titans vs. Delhi Capitals game that was originally slated for April 16 in Ahmedabad has been rescheduled for April 17.

“Since the match is coinciding with Ram Navami and a portion of security is already deployed for elections. Therefore it won’t be possible for us to provide adequate security for the match on April 17,” Kolkata Police said in a letter to Cricket Association of Bengal president Snehasish Ganguly.

While announcing the switch, the statement put out by the IPL did not mention what happens to tickets already sold for either game. Initially, the IPL had released a partial schedule running from opening night on March 22 to April 7. The date for these two matches, along with the rest of the IPL schedule from April 8 to the final on May 26, was announced only on March 25, with organisers having waited on the dates of polling in the Indian general elections before firming things up. 

The elections will run in seven phases, with West Bengal one of the states voting in all seven phases of the election, starting on April 19 and ending on June 1. Matches being shifted owing to security forces being tied up elsewhere, often because of festivals, is not uncommon in India.

For instance, the CAB asked the BCCI to reschedule the England vs. Pakistan match from November 12 to November 11 during the ODI World Cup last year in order to avoid conflicting with the Kali Puja festival. It is reported that the Ahmedabad Police had earlier brought up such concerns when the city hosted India vs. Pakistan on the opening day of the Navaratri celebration in October. 

Nine games in all eventually had their dates or start times altered, including the India vs. Pakistan match. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had stated at the time that this was because different boards had written to the BCCI regarding logistical problems.

Pakistan vs. New Zealand was played in Hyderabad behind closed doors, and Hyderabad Police, along with Ganesh Chaturthi, expressed concerns over game policing.

Also read: Rajasthan Royals will play Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024