Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014
Abu Dhabi: The 2014 general elections in India in April might prove to be a blessing in disguise for cricket lovers in the UAE with the news that the Indian Premier League (IPL) could be held here this year.
Gulf News revealed on its website late on Monday night that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is eyeing the Emirates and Bangladesh as potential joint hosts of the lucrative Twenty20 league in April and May.
According to a BCCI insider who wished to remain anonymous, the IPL governing council and team representatives have been forced to find an alternative venue to India as the Indian government would not be able to provide adequate security with the election dates clashing.
The elections will be held in either April or May on an as-yet-to-be-announced date.
Most of the IPL league matches would be played in the UAE and Bangladesh, according to the BCCI source, but the knockout stage and the finals would return to India once the elections are over.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Cricket Board and Abu Dhabi Cricket Club, David East, declined to comment on whether the BCCI had approached the ECB on the issue, however.
“I wouldn’t like to confirm or comment on this at the moment at all,” East said.
The Indian cricket board’s back-up plan apparently features four countries — the UAE, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Bangladesh.
One of the main reasons for choosing the UAE and Bangladesh is to keep the franchise expenses to a minimum after concerns were raised during a meeting in Singapore late last year, the source said.
IPL officials and team representatives are reportedly against the league being played out of India for the second time after South Africa hosted the 2009 tournament.
The last-minute change of venue five years ago cost team owners heavily, and therefore the BCCI chose to zero in on the UAE and Bangladesh.
From TV broadcasters’ point of view, the UAE and Bangladesh would be ideal venues to host the event given the large amount of Indian expatriates in both countries.
The UAE also has the requisite infrastructure in place in terms of stadia and has hotels galore.
The country would also have hosted the Under-19 World Cup by then — it runs between February 14 and March 1 — so the logistical mechanics would be very much in place.
With plenty of Asian expats here, full houses would be guaranteed and staging the event in the UAE could also open the door for Pakistan players to take part.
They have been excluded from the league due to their country’s tensions with India.
By N.D. Prashant Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
