Clouds are hovering over the IPL 2024 as there are high chance that the tournament might be shifted out of India. As per the reports in the Times of India (TOI), it is learned that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering moving the league due to the general elections in India.
The reports claimed that BCCI is likely to move IPL 2024 to UAE. The governing body has announced the schedule of the first few games of the league- March 22 to April 7. The rest of the schedule will be released after the dates of the elections are announced and it is expected that the remaining part of the league will be played in Dubai.
As per the reports, some of the BCCI officials are already in Dubai to see how things will pan out if the IPL 2024 is moved. A source close to TOI revealed after the election schedule comes out, BCCI will then decide about the same:
“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.”
Recently there were some reports that suggested that IPL franchises have asked for the passports of their players. This is because they want to keep things ready from their end if the second half of IPL 2024 gets moved out.
UAE has been the second home to the IPL. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the country hosted the IPL 2020 and 2021. The games were played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. If the IPL 2024 is moved out this time, the league is likely to be played across three venues.
During the 2009 elections in India, the IPL was played in South Africa and during 2014, the first half of the tournament was played in Dubai and then in India. It remains to be seen what will be the future of the league.
IPL 2024 schedule
Here’s the IPL 2024 schedule for the first few games
Match No | Fixture | Date of Match | Venue | Time |
1 | CSK vs RCB | March 22 | Chennai | 7:30 PM IST |
2 | PBKS vs DC | March 23 | Mohali | 3:30 PM IST |
3 | KKR vs SRH | March 23 | Kolkata | 7:30 PM IST |
4 | RR vs LSG | March 24 | Jaipur | 3:30 PM IST |
5 | GT vs MI | March 24 | Ahmedabad | 7:30 PM IST |
6 | RCB vs PBKS | March 25 | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM IST |
7 | CSK vs GT | March 26 | Chennai | 7:30 PM IST |
8 | SRH vs MI | March 27 | Hyderabad | 7:30 PM IST |
9 | RR vs DC | March 28 | Jaipur | 7:30 PM IST |
10 | RCB vs KKR | March 29 | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM IST |
11 | LSG vs PBKS | March 30 | Lucknow | 7:30 PM IST |
12 | GT vs SRH | March 31 | Ahmedabad | 3:30 PM IST |
13 | DC vs CSK | March 31 | Visakhapatnam | 7:30 PM IST |
14 | MI vs RR | April 1 | Mumbai | 7:30 PM IST |
15 | RCB vs LSG | April 2 | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM IST |
16 | DC vs KKR | April 3 | Visakhapatnam | 7:30 PM IST |
17 | GT vs PBKS | April 4 | Ahmedabad | 7:30 PM IST |
18 | SRH vs CSK | April 5 | Hyderabad | 7:30 PM IST |
19 | RR vs RCB | April 6 | Jaipur | 7:30 PM IST |
20 | MI vs DC | April 7 | Mumbai | 3:30 PM IST |
21 | LSG vs GT | April 7 | Lucknow | 7:30 PM IST |