As the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) gears up for its kick-off on March 22 in Bengaluru, discussions are swirling around the possibility of moving the second leg of the tournament to the UAE. The announcement of the Lok Sabha Election schedule forced BCCI to look out for alternatives.The Lok Sabha Election 2024, announced by the Chief Election Commissioner on Saturday, will be conducted in seven phases, starting from April 19. The polling dates are as follows: April 19 (Phase 1), April 26 (Phase 2), May 7 (Phase 3), May 13 (Phase 4), May 20 (Phase 5), May 25 (Phase 6), and June 1 (Phase 7), with the counting scheduled for June 4.While the inaugural matches are set to thrill fans in India, where Chennai Super Kings will lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refrained from revealing the complete schedule of the highly anticipated tournament, due to the electoral uncertainty. SECOND HALF OF IPL 2024 COULD BE HELD IN UAE....!!! [Gaurav Gupta from TOI] pic.twitter.com/6VlUwAAOLz— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 16, 2024BCCI explores alternate venueIPL chairman Arun Dhumal has confirmed that the entire tournament will remain in India, but reports suggest that BCCI officials are weighing the UAE as an alternate venue for the latter part of the league.According to media reports, the BCCI will decide the complete fixture of IPL 2024 after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections schedule. Reports also claimed that a few BCCI officials are in Dubai to explore the opportunities of organizing the second half of the IPL in Dubai. Previous instances when IPL matches were shifted abroadHowever, this isnt the first time that IPL matches were shifted abroad due to election clashes. In 2009, the entire IPL season took place in South Africa, while in 2014, the early games were hosted in the UAE. However, in 2019, the tournament remained in India despite concurrent elections.As of now, BCCI has announced the schedule for the initial 21 IPL 2024 matches, which will commence between March 22 and April 7.Notably, franchises like RCB, Gujarat Titans, and Delhi Capitals will play five matches in the first leg, while Kolkata Knight Riders will play three. Delhi Capitals home games are set to take place in Visakhapatnam after DC were forced to leave their traditional home ground.
