IPL-7 to be played in United Arab Emirates and India

New Delhi: Season Seven of the Indian Premier League finally has a home  more than one actually  and a set of dates. The Board of Control for cricket in India on the day announced that the tournament would be played in two, possibly three, phases and will run from April 16 to June 1.

Having run four square into the general elections, the Twenty20 thrash will see an initial set of games 16 being played in the United Arab Emirates. From May 1, matches could be shifted to India if permission from the home ministry is granted and played in states where the polling process has been completed in the nine-phase election.

In the event that is not possible, games scheduled between May 1 and May 12 will be held in Bangladesh, following which the tournament will then revert to Indian soil for the final stages that will run till June 1.

In a statement on the day, the BCCI said, “From April 16-30, at least 16 matches will be held in the United Arab Emirates. BCCI is very grateful to the Emirates Cricket Board, its Chairman, HH Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, and the government of the UAE for their offer of wholehearted support to host the Pepsi IPL for this period.

“For the period from May 1 to 12, BCCI has approached the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking permission to play IPL matches in India in cities where the polling has concluded in the respective states...

“If it is not possible to play in India during this period, IPL matches will be held in Bangladesh and from May 13, the remaining league matches plus the playoffs will be in India. There will be no matches scheduled on the counting day of May 16. “A detailed match schedule for the Pepsi IPL 2014 season will be sent out soon,” the statement added.

Under pressure from the franchisees  who stood to lose the most from games not being played in India  the has clearly opted for the most viable, including creating a multiple choice scenario for the government. Much now depends on which way the home ministry leans on the matter of providing security for the tournament.

Ideally, the BCCI would want the tournament to return as early as the board’s request is accepted, the tournament will return to India by May Day. Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council said it welcomed the BCCI’s call to hold a section of IPL-7 in the Emirates.

Said ICC chief executive David Richardson, “The BCCI’s decision to stage the first part of the IPL 2014 season in the UAE is great news ...It will complete a remarkable season of cricket in the UAE, which has already seen the successful staging of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013 and the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2014.”

Richardson added that the ICC was ready to support the successful staging of the IPL matches in its home country, as it is based in Dubai’s Sports City. “Recognising the importance of the integrity of the competition, the ICC will provide its full support for the matches in the UAE, including the provision of anti-corruption services,” he said.