Indian Premier League: Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal said the tournament is monitoring potentially big challenges around hospitality and travel logistics as the 2026 season approaches, though he added that no formal concerns have been raised by hotels or other stakeholders over LPG shortage.
The IPL 2026 season begins on March 28, with the schedule for the first 20 games likely to come out on March 12. The ten-team tournament attracts top international players, as well as coaches and broadcasters, thus making travel- and hospitality-related logistics critical to its smooth functioning.
But with the US-Israel-Iran war leading to increasing conflict in the Middle East and affecting LPG supplies, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said that the supply of cooking gas will be prioritised for households.
It has meant that there’s a supply crunch of commercial LPG to hotels and restaurants, especially with many eateries in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai saying they will be forced to halt operations due to a shortage of cooking gas.
"Definitely, it's a challenge. But we haven't got anything yet from hotels as of now. In case there is an issue and they tell us, then we'll review it accordingly. The thing is, in case we would have gone for a booking, they would have told us.
"But they have to come back with us if this is an issue. So, we haven't heard anything from them. Currently we are hearing it from the media, but we are reviewing and watching the situation from our end and we'll take a call accordingly,” Dhumal told IANS on Tuesday.
Any wider disruption of commercial cooking gas could affect not only the league but also the ecosystem outside of it, like hospitals, NGOs, educational institutions and various industries.
During IPL, many restaurants and roadside stalls see a huge uptick in sales as fans prefer to have their meals when the matches are screened live. Food delivery app services also see a big jump in their services when fans prefer to have food from the comfort of their homes during IPL matches.
Aside from LPG concerns, travel logistics also remain a challenge, as seen during the recently concluded Men’s T20 World Cup won by India. Zimbabwe, West Indies and South Africa were unable to leave immediately for home due to the conflict disrupting their flight routes.
With their major layover destination in Dubai not available due to the conflict, Zimbabwe had to leave in three batches and reached home via Addis Ababa via Ethiopian Airlines. South Africa and West Indies, meanwhile, were stuck in Kolkata before a charter flight was arranged to get them home via Johannesburg.
Aside from LPG concerns, travel logistics also remain a challenge, as seen during the recently concluded Men’s T20 World Cup won by India. Zimbabwe, West Indies and South Africa were unable to leave immediately for home due to the conflict disrupting their flight routes.
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Dhumal said the IPL is keeping an eye on travel arrangements for overseas players. “Right now, we are reviewing the situation. The IPL is still about a few weeks away. We'll see how to go about it," he added.