2nd leg of IPL 2024 could be played in UAE: reports

The news of the IPL moving out of India comes a few days after IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal had ruled out the possibility of the tournament moving out of India during the general elections in the country.

We are less than one week away from the start of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) with reigning champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament opener in Chennai on March 22.

The governing council for the league have released a schedule until April 7 and are likely to release the schedule for the second leg of the tournament after the dates for the Lok Sabha elections are announced on Saturday.

However, even as fans eagerly await details about the second leg of IPL 2024, reports have emerged that the tournament could be moved out of the country and staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with Dubai emerging as a preferred location, a Times of India report said.

"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," sources said.

Other media reports also said that a few IPL teams had asked their players to submit their passports.

There are reports in the media, saying some IPL teams have asked their players to submit their passports.

The news of the IPL moving out of India comes a few days after IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal had ruled out the possibility of the tournament moving out of India during the general elections in the country.

"Given the number of matches we have, I don’t think not many venues can take this load in such a short time. The team at BCCI is best equipped and we will take it as a challenge and have a good tournament".

"Even in 2019, the IPL was played in a home-away format in its entirety despite the General Elections. This time, too, once the dates for the elections are out and we have clarity about the dates and the phases for the polls, we can work out the next phase of the IPL," Dhumal had told IANS.

The last time the IPL was moved out of India was in 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in India.