IPL 2014 to start on April 16; first leg to be held in UAE

The second leg of the tournament might be held in Bangladesh. The third leg will be held in India.

Ending months of speculations about the venue of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) 2014, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has declared that the tournament will kick-start in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will end in India.

The seventh edition of IPL will commence on April 16 and matches will be held in the UAE till April 30, 2014. Post that, the event is tentatively scheduled to be held in Bangladesh from May 1 to May 12. However, the BCCI has approached the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, seeking permission to play IPL matches in India during this period.

IPL will move to its homeland, India on May 13 and will conclude here on June 1, 2014.

Sanjay Patel, BCCI Secretary said in a press statement, "The BCCI is extremely conscious of the various complexities involved, but it hopes for a favourable consideration. The BCCI will abide by the decision of the authorities in this regard. If it is not possible to play in India during this period, the IPL matches will be held in Bangladesh. The BCCI is thankful to the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Government of Bangladesh for their support."

Meanwhile, David Richardson, chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has welcomed the decision of the BCCI to hold some IPL 2014 matches in the UAE.

"The BCCI's decision to stage the first part of the IPL 2014 season in the UAE is great news for the people of the UAE and the region. It will complete a remarkable season of cricket in the UAE, which has already seen the successful staging of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013 and the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2014. This news comes on the back of the on-field success of the UAE national team which has qualified for both the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand and has the potential to propel cricket's profile to new heights in the country," said Richardson.

He added, "Recognising the importance of the integrity of the competition, the ICC will provide its full support for the matches in the UAE, including through the provision of anti-corruption services."

Parts of the IPL 2014 are being held outside India because the government has refused to provide security for the league, due to the general elections. This is the second time the event is being held out of the country owing to the general elections; in 2009, all the matches were held in South Africa.

This time, the general elections are schduled to be held between April 7 and May 12.

The upcoming edition of Pepsi IPL will see 60 matches, played over 47 days.

Multi Screen Media's Sony Max and Sony Six are the official broadcasting partners of the tournament.