Second phase of the IPL 2024 to be moved out of India - Reports

A total of 21 matches will be played in the first phase of IPL 2024 from March 22 to April 7.

The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) is all set to begin on 22nd March, and since the general elections will clash with the cash-rich league this year, the tournament is scheduled to be held in two phases. According to a report, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might shift the second half of the showpiece event out of India due to Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier, the BCCI had already announced the first phase of the prestigious league. A total of 21 matches will be played from 22nd March to 7th April. Previously, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal was also quite confident of holding the entire IPL 2024 in India in a home and away format.

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be locking horns against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Chepauk stadium on the opening night of the IPL 2024. However, the BCCI will be rolling out the remaining fixtures after the Election Commission of India announces the polling dates.

As per a report in the Times of India, the BCCI officials are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to explore the possibility of IPL 2024’s second leg moving there.

The Election Commission of India is set to announce the date of the elections on Saturday, 16th March, and the Indian cricketing body will take the final decision on whether to move the league out of the country or not after the Lok Sabha dates are announced.

“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,” the report quoted the sources as saying.

A few reports also suggested that some IPL franchises have collected the passports of their players as a precautionary measure in case the second phase of the cash-rich league moves out of India due to Lok Sabha elections.

However, some sources in the BCCI have maintained that the toughest cricket league will take place in India only. The BCCI sources added that the franchises have collected the passports as a measure to avoid any problems in case of any last-minute changes during the 2024 edition of the IPL.

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