IPL 2024 to be played entirely in India, Jay Shah confirms amid speculations of tournament shifted to UAE | The Sports News

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) will be not shifted overseas and the entire tournament will be played in India.

This comes after the reports with the speculation that the BCCI is planning to organise the remaining of the IPL in UAE as the tournament coincides with the Lok Sabha Election 2024.

“Complete IPL will happen in India only. BCCI is working on the full schedule and will make it public soon,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah told The Indian Express.

“As in the past, the BCCI will work closely with government and security agencies, following all necessary protocols and advisories related to the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in India. Once the dates for the 18th Lok Sabha elections are announced, the Board will review and address any issues pertaining to the schedule of the first two weeks. Subsequently, the BCCI will work in tandem with local authorities to finalize the schedule for the remainder of the season, taking into account the polling dates,” Shah had said.

For the fourth time, IPL is set to coincide with the 2024 General Elections. The elections will take place in seven phases from April 19 to June 4. The counting will take place on June 4.

IPL 2024 is set to kick off on March 22 in Chennai. BCCI had only announced the schedule for the first 21 matches of the IPL 2024 season from March 22 to April 7, while more details about the second phase of the tournament are to be announced following the Election Commission’s announcement.

The first match of the IPL 2024 season will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Bengaluru on March 22 between defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

As per the schedule already announced by the BCCI, there will be four double-headers during the 17 days till April 7. Moreover, teams like RCB, Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals will play five matches each during the first leg of the IPL, while KKR will play three matches and other franchises will play four matches each.