Dubai: An edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) again in the UAE may be a reality, according to Rajeev Shukla, chairman of the league’s governing council.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently mulling the idea of an overseas version of IPL along with a mini version of the league, which will replace the erstwhile Champions League T-20. The CL T-20, which comprised a field of the top four finishers of IPL each year along with T20 champions of other countries, never caught the public imagination and was finally discontinued last July.
In an exclusive interview to Gulf News during a personal visit to the city, Rajeev Shukla, the chairman of the IPL, said: “There are various suggestions before the BCCI and one is to have a ‘B’ Cities league with six teams. The slot for the (discontinued) Champions League is available. Another idea is to create a window for an IPL overseas. Some franchises have suggested an IPL overseas for two weeks or on a knockout basis. If we take a final decision on it, we may come back to play in the UAE.”
Asked whether BCCI will consider hosting IPL again in the UAE like 2014, Shukla said: “IPL was very successful in the UAE. Whenever the Indian parliament elections take place every five years, there will be a chance to host it here. The Indian government will not be able to provide enough police force and so we will have to take IPL outside India and UAE remains a favourite destination.”
Shukla also revealed that every effort is being made to protect IPL from any sort of corruption or controversy in the future editions. IPL may soon become the first tournament which will have a police body assisting them to curb corruption. “In order to curb any wrongdoing which can sink IPL into controversies, the BCCI president Shashank Manohar has spoken to Maharashtra government and we are going to solicit the services of Mumbai Police. IPL is the only tournament which has got two anti-corruption agencies of the ICC as well as of the BCCI monitoring the event.
“However, these two agencies do not have police powers by which they can tap phones, keep surveillance and even search any premises. All these things can only be done by a government agency which has got a legal power or sanction. This is why we are planning to take the service of Mumbai Police. We will use their service in any state where IPL is played. Soon, three agencies will be monitoring the IPL,” said Shukla, who is also the vice-president of the BCCI.
