BCCI Mulling To Host Second Half Of IPL 2024 In Dubai Due To Lok Sabha Election: Report

The second half of IPL 2024 could be moved out of India but a final call on the same will be taken only after the Lok Sab

IPL 2024 is set to get underway on March 22.

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While there has not been an official confirmation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), sources close to the people who will take the decision have said that top officials from the Board are mulling over the possibility over having the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Dubai.

"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," a TOI report quoted sources as saying.

Meanwhile, there are media reports which suggest that some IPL teams have asked their players to submit their passports, leading to further speculation over the IPL's second half moving out of India. If the IPL indeed moves out of India, this won't be the first instance of the tournament happening outside the country's territory. 

In 2014, the first half of the tournament happened in UAE owing to Lok Sabha Elections in the country while in 2009, the tournament took place in South Africa because of the dates clashing with the polls. Even during the Coronavirus pandemic, the tourmament was shifted to the Middle East but was held successfully.

IPL 2024 Set To Commence on March 22

As things stand, the organisers and the BCCI have already announced the schedule for the first 21 matches of the tournament with the cash-rich league set to get underway on March 22 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locking horns with Faf Du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in the tournament opener. The complete IPL 2024 schedule after the election schedule is out at 3 pm (IST) on March 16 (Saturday).