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- 'It is weird but we are left a little confused after we heard that Kings XI Punjab had issued a statement naming Dharamsala as their home ground.'
There seems to be no end to the confusion with regards to shifting of Kings XI Punjab's three Indian Premier League home matches after the franchise issued an official statement naming Dharamsala as their second home venue.
Conflicting reports emerged when highly-placed sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India were contacted, a few hours after Kings XI Punjab's announcement.
"It is weird but we are left a little confused after we heard that Kings XI Punjab had issued a statement naming Dharamsala as their home ground. It is a bit confusing as there seems to be distinct lack of communication at their end," a top BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
It has become even more intriguing as a Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) spokesperson said that despite Kings XI Punjab's announcement, they are not sure whether the match would take place or not in Dharamsala.
"After the manner in which the venue lost the Pakistan match in the World T20, we are wary about the politics being played by the state government as the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association president Anurag Thakur is a BJP MP," the HPCA spokesperson said after Kings XI Punjab issued the statement.
It has been learnt that one of their promoters had told top brass of BCCI that they would like to host all their matches at Mohali as it is cost-effective but this latest move of choosing Dharamsala has sent conflicting signals.
"We are happy to announce that Kings XI Punjab will be playing our 3 home games in Dharamshala. We are grateful and thankful to Anurag Thakur and the HPCA for their support in helping us make this transition seamless at such short notice," Kings XI Punjab had earlier said in a statement.
When they were specifically asked if they had issued the statement after consulting with the BCCI, sources close to the Kings XI Punjab management could not give a definitive answer.
However, they maintained that all promoters are on same page regarding the shift of venue.
Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia told PTI if their move to shift matches to Dharamsala doesn't go through, they would be happy to continue playing in Mohali.
"I guess there has been some confusion as our first choice of venue is Dharamsala for the three matches. But in case there are problems then we will be playing at Mohali."