BCCI officials are considering moving the latter part of the IPL to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to logistical challenges posed by the upcoming General Elections in India. This marks the potential third time the tournament could be held in the UAE, as finding a solution to host the entire event in India proves difficult under the circumstances.
The BCCI hosted the first half of the IPL in the UAE in 2014 due to the General Elections and held the entire tournament in the region in 2020 amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in India. While there’s been no official confirmation, recent developments have sparked speculation about the possibility of the IPL returning to the UAE for its third stint.
Reports indicate that IPL teams have requested their players to submit their passports, suggesting that the BCCI is exploring various options ahead of the announcement of election dates by the Election Commission on March 16.
“The Election Commission of India will announce the election schedule on Saturday at 3 pm. After that, the BCCI will decide whether IPL matches should be moved to Dubai. Currently, a few top BCCI officials are in Dubai to explore the possibility of organizing the second half of the IPL in Dubai,” sources told The Times of India.
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The initial IPL schedule for the first half was released on February 22, but the BCCI was unable to proceed further due to the delayed announcement of dates by the Election Commission of India. Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore are scheduled to commence the action on March 22 at the M. Chidambaram Stadium, with the first leg concluding with a match between Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans on April 7.
