There is little clarity on the venue for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Although the BCCI has already confirmed that at least the first few matches of IPL 2024 will be played in India, their decision not to announce the full schedule has angered many.
Last month, BCCI announced that IPL 2024 will be played from March 22 and released a partial schedule with 21 matches between March 22 and April 7. BCCI will release the rest of the schedule after the Election Commission of India announcement. The next general election dates are likely to be held in April and May.
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The IPL 2024 is on a collision course with the elections and its schedule is largely dependent on the election schedule. Due to general elections in 2009, the entire tournament had to be moved to South Africa. Five years later, the preliminary stage of the competition was played in the United Arab Emirates before the tournament returned home. However, despite 2019 being an election year, the entire tournament was held in India.
Will IPL 2024 be held outside India?
While the BCCI is adamant that the entire IPL 2024 will be held in India, there is a possibility that the tournament will be moved outside the country. According to reports from the franchises have asked their players to submit their passports to be ready in case the tournament is indeed held outside the country in the coming days.
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According to Dainik Jagran’s Abhishek Tripathi, the coach of the IPL franchise told him that the players were asked to submit their passports. He said franchisees have collected passports for visa work, a clear indication that franchisees have been asked to be ready in case the IPL is moved out of India in the coming days.
The veteran journalist further asserted that while the franchises are collecting the passports of their players, IPL 2024 is unlikely to be shifted outside India. If the tournament is shifted abroad, the UAE is likely to be the preferred venue, he said.
