IPL 2019: BCCI To Send Recce Team To South Africa For Inspection As Possible Venue

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will reportedly send a recce team to South Africa to take a measure of things as they have identified the Rainbow nation as one of the possible destinations to host the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Due to the general elections in 2019, the twelfth edition of the IPL is unlikely to be played in India. As a result, the BCCI is searching for options to hold the competition outside India.

And according to the Mumbai Mirror, a two-member team is expected to leave Mumbai in a day or two to explore the hypothetical situation of the league being moved in South Africa. The recce is expected to last for about 10 days.

The report further stated that the the team of Hemang Amit and Navneet Kaur will travel to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth to discuss the requirements for the 45-day tournament.

The final decision on the matter will be taken after the dates of the general elections are announced. But the BCCI wants to remain prepared from its side to avoid any unnecessary hassle.

The United Arab Emirates is also among the countries considered to host the competition. UAE had hosted the early part of the competition in 2014 due to the general elections. But South Africa, where the full competition was held in 2009, is seen as the front-runner to host the competition if it is moved out of the country.

The Pakistan Super League tournament is scheduled from February 14 to March 17 in UAE and might clash with the start of the IPL. The BCCI officials are unlikely to host the tournament in UAE in such a situation.

The report claimed that UAE, will be chosen if the need is to shift only a part of the tournament. The BCCI’s two-member team will also visit Dubai on their return from South Africa and discuss with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) about hosting some IPL matches there.