South Africa, BCCI’s Plan A for IPL 2019

CHENNAI: The BCCI has asked the eight IPL franchises to be prepared for next year’s edition to be moved out of India since it is likely to coincide with the general elections.

Express understands that franchises have also been told that in case the entire tournament is shifted, it will be held in South Africa. However, the BCCI has more or less accepted that no top international player will be available during the month of May because of the World Cup starting later that month.

Though there was a buzz that the elections could be held in December, it looks unlikely. This means like 2014, it will once again coincide with the IPL.

With the World Cup set to begin on May 30, the BCCI has to finish the IPL at least 15 days before that. On top of that, each team has to play at least a couple of warm-up games before the World Cup, which means the Indian team will have to be in England by at least May 25. These factors are to be taken into account while finalising IPL dates.

According to sources, the BCCI is looking to begin the tournament in third week of March. It would mean an early closure and also ensure that the international stars are not missing. England players, who have IPL contracts, will not feature in next year’s edition beyond April 30 as they have to report to a camp before the World Cup. But the BCCI is thinking that players from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand may also be called up by their boards.

While the thought of playing at least some of the matches at home seems to have been discussed, it looks unlikely. The franchises will have a meeting with the IPL General Council in this regard, before the BCCI takes a final call. It seems the BCCI is not keen on starting the tournament in India and shifting it overseas after that.

“Considering that talks of early elections have died down, we can only assume that it would be held as usual in the months of April and May. Even though the IPL is starting by the third week of March, we cannot shift the tournament mid-way, because that means teams will have to adjust to conditions at the business end of the tournament. With South Africa being Plan A, the conditions are vastly different and it would require major tinkering of strategies and what not. England was also thought of, but the weather will not be ideal and UAE, by virtue of having only three venues, cannot host the whole IPL. That’s why South Africa is ideal. Not only it has many venues, even their players can play the whole tournament,” a highly placed source told Express.

It’s likely that unlike in 2014 (UAE) and 2009 (South Africa), teams will be informed of the shift before the auctions.

“If we narrow down on a venue, then teams can pick players accordingly keeping in mind the local condition,” the official added.

venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com