The 2024 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin on March 22. Since the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to take place this year, the BCCI has released the fixtures of 21 matches so far.
The Indian board will unveil the remaining schedule once the Election Commission of India announces the polling dates.
Meanwhile, some reports have claimed that the second phase of the IPL 2024 might be shifted to the UAE, as it happened earlier in 2014.
However, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal on Saturday (March 16) made it clear that the remainder of the IPL matches will be held in India only.
Speaking to IANS, Dhumal said: “We are working closely with the government agencies and as soon as the dates of general elections announce, we will figure out the further plan...and hopefully the second phase of IPL will take place in India only, it's not going anywhere else.”
Earlier, a report published in TOI claimed that some of the BCCI officials are in UAE to ‘explore the possibility’ of conducting the second half of the league in Dubai.
The last time UAE hosted the IPL was in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The games were held across three venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The first leg will see the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) facing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the tournament opener at Chepauk.