UAE gets 20 IPL matches, opener in Abu Dhabi

Chennai, March 19 :

United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the first 20 matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) including the grand opener slated for April 16 between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

The IPL Governing Council met here Wednesday and decided that the Sharjah Cricket and Dubai International Cricket Stadium will also host IPL matches.

Sanjay Patel, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said the UAE-leg will finish with Mumbai Indians-Sunrisers Hyderabad clash in Dubai, April 30 and would be conducted in India from the first week of May. The schedule of the remaining 40 matches will be announced in due course.

“Pursuant to the initiative taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, many state governments have indicated that IPL matches can be conducted in their respective states. Based on the responses received so far, the BCCI believes that the IPL 2014 can be conducted in India from the first week of May,” said Patel in a statement.

The BCCI has been forced to shift the IPL for the second time — the second edition, in 2009, was held in South Africa, again due to general elections in India. Bangladesh has also been kept as a stand-by if matches are not possible in India during May 1-12.

(IANS)