New Delhi: The federal home ministry on Tuesday refused to comment on the possibility of the upcoming edition of the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) being held in the UAE.
“It’s a hypothesis which doesn’t require comment,” said a senior official of the federal home ministry, who is not authorised to talk to media. “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to formally approach us, which is a prerequisite before we assess the possibility of providing security for the event. Also, it’s too early to say anything since election dates are yet to be announced.”
Sources in the BCCI, however, say that staging the upcoming edition of IPL in the UAE is just one of the options. Although the 2009 edition of the IPL was held in South Africa after the home ministry refused to provide adequate security due to its clash with general elections, hosting the event in the rainbow country is ruled out this time due to soured ties between the cricket boards of the two countries, which witnessed a curtailed Indian tour to South Africa recently.
Neighbours Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are the other choices. However, BCCI sources said that taking the event to Bangladesh is risky due to the unstable law-and-order situation in the country, leaving the final choice between Sri Lanka and UAE.
Interestingly, both the BCCI and the federal home ministry have their eyes fixed on the Nirvachan Sadan, the central office of the autonomous Election Commission of India.
That’s because any further move about the venue of the IPL 2014 would be taken only after it formally declares the election schedule.
The election panel is expected to announce dates of the next general elections in the last week of February or the first week of March. Elections are likely to be held in five or six phases between April and May.
