Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel on Monday confirmed that the 13th edition of the premier T20 tournament will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A full-fledged IPL consisting of 60 matches is on the cards and the league is expected to be completed inside 44 days between September 26 to November 08 – a window already zeroed in by the BCCI.
IPL, which was scheduled to begin in late March 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. BCCI looked at several alternatives in a bid to host it later in the year in India. Boards from several countries – Sri Lanka, New Zealand ad UAE, among others offered to host the tournament. Last month, the Emirates Cricket Board had offered to host the tournament in UAE, stating that they had the required infrastructure for it.
While the official dates are yet to be decided, BCCI wants to conclude the tournament early in November to ensure the Indian players can leave on time for their Test series against Australia which gets underway from December 03. As per ESPN Cricinfo, Patel confirmed that the 13th edition of IPL will be staged in the UAE and that BCCI was waiting for ICC’s final call on the fate of the T20 World Cup this year.
IPL 2020 to be hosted in UAE in September: Report
“We were waiting for the ICC to officially announce [the postponement]. We have applied [for permission] with the Indian government. Should get it,” Patel told ESPNcricinfo.
When asked if IPL 2020 will be played behind closed doors, Patel said the decision “depends on the UAE government”. Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will be hosting the matches. In 2014, the first phase of IPL, consisting of 20 matches was played in the UAE.
