Indian Premier League 2020 to be held in UAE

NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket board (BCCI) will seek government permission to stage this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) in the United Arab Emirates.

The postponement of Twenty20 World Cup, which had been scheduled to take place in Australia from 18th October, has presented the BCCI with a new opportunity to stage the IPL

Cricket boards in UAE and Sri Lanka have offered to host the league considering the situation in India due to the COVID-19 crisis, as the number of coronavirus cases surged to 1.16 million including 28,084 deaths.

“We are yet to finalise when it will begin, maybe sometime in September,” IPL governing council chairman Brijesh Patel told a news agency.

“They (Emirates Cricket Board) made an offer to host it but we require government permission to stage it in UAE. We’ll discuss the issue in the next governing council meeting in 7-10 days.”

READ MORE: COVID-19: ICC postpones T20 World Cup 2020

The BCCI has been looking for a new window in which to stage the lucrative league, which was postponed days before it was to begin in late March.

Earlier this month, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal said they would consider hosting the IPL abroad as a last resort to salvage the tournament.

The 2009 edition of the league was held in South Africa due to the general elections, and the UAE hosted the early matches of the tournament five years later for the same reason.

“We have played there before and they are familiar in organising international matches. They are well-equipped,” Patel said. “From a pandemic position, too, the situation is significantly better there.”