The UAE is among two locations being considered for a proposed mini overseas edition of the Indian Premier League in September with all eight teams set to participate.
The decision to hold a shorter version of the T20 league overseas was announced in a IPL govern- ing council meeting chaired by Rajeev Shukla and later ratified by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The BCCI has been on the lookout for an IPL-like tournament during the September window since scrapping the Champions League T20 last year.
“In the month of September BCCI is willing to host a mini IPL or IPL overseas with all the eight teams participating in a shorter format,” BCCI president Anurag Thakur said after the end of a four- day conclave in Dharamsala.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the USA and the UAE have been dis- cussed as possible venues during the IPL governing council and the working committee meeting, but Thakur remained tight-lipped.
“There are many options, many countries can host the IPL. So there will be a process to look at the various time zones, various markets available, which could be the best partner country, whether every year it should be hosted in that country or it can be changed,” he said.
Terming it “mini IPL” or “IPL overseas”, Thakur said the finer details of the two-week tournament were being worked out before a final schedule is announced.
However, when asked about the developments, Emirates Cricket Board chief David East said no one from the BCCI has been in contact regarding the tournament.
“We have not held any discussions with the BCCI regarding IPL in the UAE,” he told Sport360.
The UAE successfully hosted 20 matches of the 2014 edition.