Bengaluru, Mumbai to host IPL play-offs, final in Hyderabad

The last few days have seen a literal tug-of-war between the BCCI's Committee of Administrators (CoA) and office-bearers over who should have the final say in the affairs of the board. In such a scenario, Thursday's IPL Governing Council's meeting came as a surprise as it went ahead in a cordial atmosphere, without any rancour or dissent.

Those who had to fall in line with Vinod Rai, chairman of CoA, did so without making much of a fuss. The idea is to make IPL-10 a grand success and ensure the game doesn't suffer at any cost. From signing the venue agreement to logistics and payment issues, both the CoA and office-bearers - including IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla and former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly - were on the same page. The staging associations have already been promised financial assistance to meet the expenses for hosting the games.

Shukla chaired the meeting and Rai later told TOI: "I have no issue with anyone chairing the meeting. The Governing Council exists as of now and Shukla is the chairman of the committee. He was also a part of the IPL auction in Bangalore. I am here with a purpose to implement the Lodha reforms and I don't have any difference of opinion with anyone running the sport. But if anyone comes in between our line of work, I will certainly get into the picture. That is the mandate given to us by the Supreme Court."

Shukla also agreed that the meeting went very well. "Our job is to ensure that IPL-10 gets maximum success. We have the support of Rai, who is the head of the CoA," he said.

It was revealed after the meeting that Mumbai would host the First Qualifier while the Eliminators will take place in Bangalore. For being the defending champions, Hyderabad will be the venue for the final. "Mumbai lost out on last year's IPL Play-off because of the drought issue. That is why Mumbai has been shortlisted for one of the qualifiers," Shukla said.

The board also decided to honour Indian cricket's 'Fab Five' at the opening ceremony . "Five legends of Indian cricket - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag - will be felicitated during the opening ceremony in Hyderabad on April 5," Shukla added.

Surprisingly, India's coach Anil Kumble, whose contribution to Indian cricket is equally big, isn't part of the list.