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Ball in Speaker's Court: Parameshwara

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday spoke about the demand from legislators for complimentary IPL tickets, stating that it is now up to the Speaker's office and the concerned sports organisations to take further action. He expressed his support for the growing interest in sports, mentioning that, as a former sportsman, he liked seeing such enthusiasm.

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Speaking to the reporters, Parameshwara said, "Now it is left to the Speaker's office and the KSCA organisation or the RCB organisation. What steps the Speaker is going to take is up to him because MLAs come under the Speaker."

"Maybe he will write or ask the organisers to provide passes. As a former sportsman, I like it because they show so much interest in sports... It is a good development," he said.

MLAs Demand Tickets, Allege Black Market Sales

His remarks came after Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar suggested that every MLA should receive at least five IPL tickets, claiming that elected representatives are "VIPs" who shouldn't have to wait in line.

Speaking to media persons, Shivashankarappa expressed his frustration and said, "There is an IPL match going to start on the 28th of this month. Karnataka State Cricket Association has not provided the tickets for the MLAs, ministers, and their families. They are taking all the facilities from the government... But they are not respecting the MLAs. They are not issuing the tickets... They are selling it in black. One ticket, which costs 5,000 rupees, we are buying it for 35,000 rupees."

IPL 2026 First Phase Schedule

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the first phase of the IPL 2026, to be played from March 28 to April 12. The 19th edition of the biggest T20 league on the globe will commence with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues in the first-phase of the IPL. The venues are Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

During this period, the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.