RR likely to remain in Jaipur, subject to conditions

After searching high and low, Rajasthan Royals may, after all, return to Jaipur. At the time of filing this report, there is no official confirmation that the Royals' matches will be played at home, but developments appear to be moving in that direction. The Royals, of course, have a fallback option in Pune.

There has been some intervention from the Rajasthan government, which does not want the eponymously named franchise to look elsewhere. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not taken a final decision, it is understood to have conveyed to the Royals' management that they should explore the possibility of staying at home.

The central question, of course, is the Royals' main grievance - the readiness of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The facilities, including amenities, are understood to be not entirely in order, and the RR management want them in place before the start of the season. The IPL this year will run from March 26 to May 31, which means there are about 45 days left before the beginning of the league.

Should the Royals decide to stay in Jaipur, it is likely that four of their seven home matches will be played there. The other three, as per their earlier plan, will be staged in Guwahati. As previously reported by Cricbuzz on November 23, the Royals' management have held discussions with the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) regarding playing the games in Pune.

MI deny saying no to RCB

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have denied turning down Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who have been in the hunt for an alternative venue.

The MI management, whose base is Mumbai, are understood to have informed RCB that they should first explore other cities before considering the DY Patil Stadium. Pune, Indore, Raipur, Visakhapatnam and Cuttack have hosted multiple IPL seasons previously, while Thiruvananthapuram is also an option, and RCB should first examine the possibilities at those centres.

With RCB captain Rajat Patidar and teammate Venkatesh Iyer coming from Indore, the Holkar Stadium could be an option.

With continued uncertainty over the availability of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the RCB management are believed to have written to Mumbai Indians seeking their views on using the DY Patil Stadium as a temporary venue for their games this season.

MI are understood to have indicated that Mumbai cannot be a convenient first option. RCB, it may be mentioned, have made arrangements with the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh to host some matches in Raipur.

It is learnt that MI had a similar response to the Rajasthan Royals management, who had initially contemplated moving to Mumbai and explored the option of using the DY Patil Stadium, engaging with the MI management.

The BCCI has not released the schedule yet, but it is expected to do so after the announcement of the State Assembly election dates in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and West Bengal.