New Delhi, March 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal said the tournament is monitoring potential challenges related to hospitality and travel logistics as the 2026 season approaches, although he added that no formal concerns have been raised by hotels or other stakeholders regarding the LPG shortage.
The IPL 2026 season begins on March 28, with the schedule for the first 20 games likely to be released 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.
However, with the US-Israel-Iran war leading to increased 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 prioritized for households.
This has meant that there is a shortage of commercial LPG for 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 received any information from hotels yet. If there is an issue and they inform us, then we will review it accordingly. The key is that if we had made a booking, they would have informed us.
"But they need to inform us if this is a problem. So, we haven't heard anything from them. Currently, we are hearing about it from the media, but we are reviewing the situation and taking a decision accordingly,” Dhumal said.
Any wider disruption of commercial cooking gas could affect not only the league but also the ecosystem outside of it, such as hospitals, NGOs, educational institutions, and various industries.
During the IPL, many restaurants and roadside stalls see a significant increase in sales as fans prefer to have their meals while watching the matches live. Food delivery app services also experience a surge 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 immediately return home due to the conflict disrupting their flight routes.
With their major layover destination in Dubai unavailable 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.
Although the airspace of Australia and New Zealand is unaffected, it remains to be seen whether all foreign players, coaches, and broadcasters from the West Indies, South Africa, and England will come to India for IPL 2026, considering the current situation and that most of them usually arrive via a stopover in Dubai.
Dhumal said that the IPL is monitoring the travel arrangements for overseas players. “Right now, we are reviewing the situation. The IPL is still a few weeks away. We will see how to proceed," he added.