12BET India News: IPL in UAE is in the cards as offer to host received by the Board
The United Arab Emirates, which had hosted the first leg of Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2014, has emerged as one of the options of the the Board of Control for Cricket in India following the offer that the governing body received from the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). The cash-rich Twenty20 competition, due to begin on March 29 and pushed back to April 15, was postponed indefinitely.
The BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal has confirmed the offer from the ECB shortly after Sri Lanka had also offered to host the tournament. “The UAE has offered to host the IPL if we want them to. But right now when there is no international travel, there is no question of taking a call on that,” Dhumal said. He added that there is no decision at this stage as the world combats the deadly pandemic.
Previously, Sri Lanka Cricket (CLC) chief Shammi Silva has offered to host the eight-team league while the Indian governing body finds a “safe” window later in the year to hold the tournament. At the time of writing, Sri Lanka has less than 1000 cases and only 7 fatalities from the deadly virus. Silva told the press that they are “ready to provide facilities” subjected to recommendations of medical professionals”
In 2009, South Africa hosted the second IPL, while the first half of the 2014 season took place across three stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. UAE hosted the first 20 matches of IPL 2014 as the April leg of the tournament was shifted out of the country due to General Elections. The tournament was completed in India where Kolkata Knight Riders were crowned champions later.
Earlier, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had hinted at a further postponement of the cash-rich league. In an interview, Ganguly told an Indian press that “when life has come to a standstill everywhere in the world, where does sport have a future in this.” Previous reports said that the board are aiming for the window of October-November to organize the IPL.
As the T20 World Cup is likely to be postponed, the BCCI will get an opportunity to organise the IPL in October-November, participation of overseas players might not be a problem if cricketing action gets under way at all. The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in India remained uncontainable, with over 74,000 cases, including nearly 2,500 deaths.
According to a report, BCCI is expected to face huge losses. The cricket body can incur Rs. 3,869.5 crore loss if the tournament is cancelled. The amount includes Rs 3,269.5 crore of broadcast and streaming revenue and Rs 200 crore and Rs 400 crore of central sponsorship and title sponsorship revenues respectively.
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