Indian Premier League: A day before the Election Commission of India (ECI) is to announce dates for the upcoming General Elections, some actions by stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have given rise to speculation that the T20 league could be moved out of India because of the election dates.
A few IPL franchises have collected the passports of their players as a precautionary measure if the second phase of IPL gets shifted out of India due to general elections.
However, sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have maintained that the league will take place in India only.
The BCCI sources said the franchises have collected the passports as a precautionary measure to mitigate any validity issues in case of any last-minute changes.
The first leg of the IPL will start on March 22 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
There was speculation before the start of the event that the 2024 edition of the IPL could be moved out of India because of the general elections just like in previous elections. However, the BCCI went on to announce the schedule for the first leg of IPL 2024.