Anil Kumble not in favour of shifting IPL out of India

Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble said that he was not in favour of moving the IPL out of the country, during a visit to the Greenfield stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

“IPL is a global brand which brings in lot of revenue to the country. It should not be shifted,” said the veteran spinner who was in the city to visit the Sports Hub in Kariavattom. He spent time with the first batch of trainees at the sports academy, which is co-supported by TENVIC, his sports training and consultancy company.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had earlier hinted at shifting the tournament out of India next year due to the constant water crisis in the country. He also told that the IPL governing council is considering locations in India and abroad, based on the availability of venues and conditions.

A number of petitions have been slapped by various outfits across the country to shift IPL matches due to drought. 12 matches have been relocated from Maharashtra after a PIL was filed by NGO Loksatta Movement and many others.

The IPL has been played outside the country on two occasions before due to assembly elections. In 2009, it was entirely shifted to South Africa and in 2014, the first 15 matches were played in the United Arab Emirates.

During an interaction with the students at the academy, Kumble said that he was looking forward to provide top class coaching for the state's future sports stars. “The infrastructure is fantastic and world class. We believe in holistic development of the kids. I always have thought that kids should first enjoy the game.

“We have started off with cricket and football and in due course of time more games will be added once other facilities like swimming pool and gymnasium start functioning,”

On being asked about spin bowling in India, Kumble said that there is no dearth of talent in the country and that it is evident from the performances in the IPL. "For the last few seasons Ashwin has been bowling well. Amit Mishra is also doing well and Harbhajan Singh is still playing. There is Jadeja and some promising spinners who are doing well in IPL. I feel spin bowling in India is healthy."

The leg-spinner, who has taken a break from this edition of the IPL after being associated with it for eight years and said that he would be returning the next season.

The KSFL-TENVIC sports coaching academy, founded by Kumble and table tennis player Vasanth Bharadwaj, started functioning in the city on 20 April.