Dubai: UAE cricket is now ready to host more events of the magnitude of the Indian Premier League (IPL), according to local administrators.
Three top officials who ensured the successful staging of the UAE leg of IPL, were invited by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the final in Bengaluru on Sunday.
David East, Chief Executive of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), Mazhar Khan, Administrator of ECB and Maqbul Dudhia, General Manger Sports Business of Dubai Sports City watched the final with BCCI officials.
Speaking to Gulf News, East said: “It was a great gesture from the BCCI to have invited us to witness the final of this edition which started off from UAE.
“It was also a great privilege to witness one of the finest finals. This gave us an opportunity to get feedback from many Indian cricketers and BCCI officials on the UAE leg of the IPL.”
When asked whether it was also a learning experience as an administrator, East said: “The difference between UAE and Bengaluru was that they have a bigger stadium, but overall the way we staged the event here is almost similar to what they did there. The entertainment as well as the on and off field activities were all similar to what we delivered here.”
UAE’s success as the hosts of the IPL has made it a potential venue for the oncoming Champions League and also a possible India-Pakistan series in 2015.
“We met the BCCI officials, though talks regarding the Champions League did not progress as the list of qualifying teams and schedule for the event is still to be worked out.
“If they ask us to stage the event, we are all ready for it. In fact, UAE’s name is being discussed as a venue for Champions League purely due to the successful IPL we delivered.”
Mazhar Khan, who is also the General Manager of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, said: “The invitation to witness the final is recognition of the efforts we put in to give the IPL a great start. By staging IPL, we have proved that this region can stage some of the biggest events in world cricket and there is a huge audience for it.”
Dudhia, who was instrumental in providing a superb ambience at the Dubai International Cricket stadium for the IPL, said: “It was indeed nice to witness the first and also the last match of this edition of the IPL.
“While watching the final we realised that IPL has a set formula and by following it to the core, the tournament can be staged successfully.
“What impressed the Indian officials are the facilities here and all of them said that they were blown away by the response in the UAE for the event. I thank the cricket fans here for having played a huge role.”
Dudhia said more high profile events like the IPL may follow here.
“Through IPL, we have established good relations with Indian authorities and it may lead to cooperation for staging bigger and high profile events here. We will always be ready with the best of facilities,” he added.
