The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is scheduled to start on March 22 and with the Lok Sabha elections due this year, the cash-rich tournament will be played in two ways. The first leg, which starts next Friday. Will see the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Chepauk. The BCCI has announced half of the tournament schedule and will reveal the remaining time after the Election Commission of India announces the poll date.
The Times of India reports that officials may shift the second series of IPL 2024 to the UAE, as they did earlier in 2014. The report suggests that some BCCI officials are in the UAE to “explore the possibility” of holding the second half of the tournament in Dubai.
“The Election Commission of India will announce the election schedule on Saturday at 3 pm. After this, the BCCI will decide whether the IPL matches will be moved to Dubai. Now, a few BCCI officials are in Dubai to explore the possibility of holding the second half of the IPL in Dubai,” sources said according to the report.
The IPL held in the UAE in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid outbreak. The game took place in three places: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
It is also learned that few IPL franchises have collected their players’ passports as a precaution in case the second phase of IPL is canceled in India due to general elections. However, BCCI sources confirmed that the tournament will be held only in India.
A few reports also suggest that franchises have collected passports as a precaution. This is to minimize any potential issues with last-minute changes.
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