First leg of IPL to be held in UAE from April 16
The IPL's organisers have announced a three-phase schedule for this season's tournament: the first 16 matches will be held in the UAE from April 16, the next phase between May 1 and 12 will be in Bangladesh if the Indian Home Ministry is unable to provide security in India, and the last section will be held in India ending on June 1.
South Africa had been considered as one of the alternate venues for the IPL, especially because the 2009 season was shifted there, but it will not host any matches this season. The tournament was forced to, at least partly, shift out of India due to federal elections in the country, which meant the government couldn't provide the necessary security to the IPL.
"For the period from Thursday 1st May to Monday 12th May, BCCI has approached the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, seeking permission to play IPL matches in India in cities where the polling has concluded in the respective state," an IPL release said. "If it is not possible to play in India during this period, IPL matches will be held in Bangladesh."
The final phase of the Indian elections is on May 12, after which the IPL will return to India. "From Tuesday 13th May (once polling has concluded in all states), the remaining league matches plus the Playoffs will be played in India," the release said. "There will be no matches scheduled on the counting day of Friday, 16th May."
The announcement ends weeks of speculation over the dates and venues for this season's matches. The UAE had been a popular venue for Indian cricket in the '80s and '90s but the Indian national team has generally avoided playing in the UAE since the match-fixing scandal of 2000. India have featured in only two ODIs there in the past decade.
The IPL's organisers have announced a three-phase schedule for this season's tournament: the first 16 matches will be held in the UAE from April 16, the next phase between May 1 and 12 will be in Bangladesh if the Indian Home Ministry is unable to provide security in India, and the last section will be held in India ending on June 1.
South Africa had been considered as one of the alternate venues for the IPL, especially because the 2009 season was shifted there, but it will not host any matches this season. The tournament was forced to, at least partly, shift out of India due to federal elections in the country, which meant the government couldn't provide the necessary security to the IPL.
"For the period from Thursday 1st May to Monday 12th May, BCCI has approached the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, seeking permission to play IPL matches in India in cities where the polling has concluded in the respective state," an IPL release said. "If it is not possible to play in India during this period, IPL matches will be held in Bangladesh."
The final phase of the Indian elections is on May 12, after which the IPL will return to India. "From Tuesday 13th May (once polling has concluded in all states), the remaining league matches plus the Playoffs will be played in India," the release said. "There will be no matches scheduled on the counting day of Friday, 16th May."
The announcement ends weeks of speculation over the dates and venues for this season's matches. The UAE had been a popular venue for Indian cricket in the '80s and '90s but the Indian national team has generally avoided playing in the UAE since the match-fixing scandal of 2000. India have featured in only two ODIs there in the past decade.
