The UAE has offered to host the IPL: BCCI Treasurer
The coronavirus pandemic has brought all the major sporting events to a standstill, and multiple nations have enforced lockdown protocols to contain the virus outbreak. This past month speculations about Sri Lanka showing interest in hosting IPL 2020 was making news but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it clear that they aren’t taking any decision regarding this during the current situation.
The fate of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 still remains uncertain. For the past few days, stories stating that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has offered to host the upcoming edition of the IPL have been making the rounds.
UAE hosted the first 20 matches of IPL 2014. Matches were played at Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. It was the second time after the 2009 season that the IPL had been played outside India because of the General Elections being held at the same time.
The BCCI Treasurer, Arun Dhumal, confirmed that UAE has shown interest in hosting the cash-rich tournament if needed. With international travel being banned by a plethora of countries, it seems highly unlikely.
"The UAE has offered to host the IPL if we want them to," said Dhumal as per a report in the Hindustan Times. "But right now when there is no international travel, there is no question of taking a call on that."
"The health and security of players and all participants is our priority. At the moment, the entire world travel has come to a standstill, so there is nothing we can decide at this stage," stressed the treasurer.
The Sri Lankan Board is currently in the middle of an economic downturn and hosting the IPL can be very helpful for them.
"We have discussed amongst our committee members the proposal to host the IPL in Sri Lanka. Any further decision will be taken after that," said SLC secretary Mohan de Silva.
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