Will IPL 2024 Phase 2 be moved out of India? BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has ruled that out even though the Indian board is facing the tough task of conducting the entire event in India. The reason is the India General Election which begins on April 19 and ends on June 1. BCCI could only announce IPL 2024 schedule for the first 15 days or 21 games. With state police busy on election duty, BCCI will find it difficult to accommodate matches two days before and after the poll date in each of the 12 cities Indian Premier League will be played in.
“Certainly, there are challenges. You have to factor in the player security, stadium security, transport and many more. And it’s not just election days, there will be rallies or visits by cabinet ministers and that could lead to the unavailability of local police. But we are doing everything we can to keep the IPL in India. We are in touch with local authorities as we formalise the rest of the schedule,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
IPL Schedule Challenge
The local police plays a key role in successfully conducting a match. For each match, as many as 2000 police personnel are deployed to protect the players and fans inside the stadiums. In addition to that, traffic police also help with the smooth management of vehicle traffic around the stadium. Hence without police support, IPL matches can’t be played in a packed stadium.
However, with Lok Sabha Elections, local police will be busy on poll duty as well as VIP security. Hence, they will be unavailable from two days before the poll date to two days after. To make things worse, there will be election campaigns and local police will prioritise security in those rallies over an IPL 2024 match.
“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.
IPL vs Election
| Team | Venue | Election Date |
|---|---|---|
| CSK | Chennai | April 19 |
| RCB | Bengaluru | April 26 |
| MI | Mumbai | May 20 |
| GT | Ahmedabad | May 7 |
| DC | Vizag | May 13 |
| DC | Delhi | May 25 |
| SRH | Hyderabad | May 13 |
| KKR | Kolkata | June 1 |
| LSG | Lucknow | May 20 |
| PBKS | Chandigarh | June 1 |
| PBKS | Dharamsala | June 1 |
| RR | Jaipur | April 19 |
Out of 12 venues, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Dharamsala will remain unaffected by the General Elections. All these three cities will have a Poll Date on June 1 with IPL 2024 ending on May 26. Delhi Capitals may also escape the impact of elections if they fail to qualify. Delhi goes to poll on May 25.
However, BCCI will have a headache with the schedule of CSK, RCB, MI, RR, SRH, DC, GT, and LSG.
Chennai goes to poll on April 19. Hence, CSK cannot play a home match between April 17 to 21.
Bengaluru will have elections on April 26. So, RCB cannot play a home match between April 24 to 28. There is also Ugadi on April 9 and Eid on April 11. Hence, BCCI will have to factor that in as well.
Latest on IPL 2024
Similarly, Ahmedabad goes to poll on May 7 with GT unlikely to play any home matches between May 5 to 9 at least. There will also be Eid on April 11 and Ram Navami on April 17. Hence, BCCI will have to avoid those dates.
Mumbai Indians may not be able to play home games between May 18 and 22. Hence, it is unlikely that Mumbai will host the playoffs.
Hyderabad will have elections on May 13. Hence, SRH could play away games between May 11 and 15.
Ahmedabad favourite for playoffs
With election dates jeopardising IPL 2024 in India, BCCI is likely to have a single venue for IPL playoffs. With elections wrapped up in Gujarat on May 7, Ahmedabad will be the favourites to host playoffs. Similarly, Chennai and Bengaluru could also be in the fray to host playoffs.
“We are still in discussion and nothing has been finalised yet on playoffs venue or venues. Of course, there is always the possibility of conducting the playoffs at a single venue to avoid clashes. But whether it’s Ahmedabad or any other city, that is yet to be decided,” the BCCI official told InsideSport.
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