BCCI formally seeks Govt. nod to relocate IPL to UAE

It is understood that the BCCI in consultation with the broadcaster will finalise either the September 26 to November 7 or the September 26 to November 14 window.

Published : Jul 21, 2020 19:14 IST , MUMBAI

The Indian Premier League had been indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Indian Premier League had been indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
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The Indian Premier League had been indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Hours after the Twenty20 World Cup’s deferment, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sought the central government’s approval for the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year.

“We have formally sought the Government of India’s approval this morning to relocate the IPL to the UAE later in the year. Depending on the government’s response, the governing council will finalise the dates, hopefully by next week,” Brijesh Patel, the IPL governing council chairman, told  Sportstar  on Tuesday.

On Monday evening, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that the T20 World Cup, earlier scheduled to be held from October 18 to November 15, has been postponed to 2022. Once the deferment was stamped, the BCCI swung into action in no time.

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While Patel was non-committal about the proposed dates, it is understood that the BCCI in consultation with the broadcaster will finalise either the September 26 to November 7 or the September 26 to November 14 window. It would result in the national team having enough time to serve the mandatory quarantine in Australia before the scheduled start of the Test series Down Under from December 3.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 across India means the BCCI is left with no option but to relocate the IPL overseas. While the UAE hosted one-third of the IPL in 2014 to avoid a clash with India's Lok Sabha election, the Emirates Cricket Board officials had offered to stage the tournament more than two years earlier. Creating a bio-secure environment in the UAE is possible to an extent despite the IPL set to be held in three major venues, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

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While some franchises have started asking their players to be prepared for a pre-departure training camp in India, the franchise executives are hoping to hear something formally from the BCCI before the weekend.

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