After Sri Lanka Cricket, Emirates Cricket Board also offer to host IPL 2020

• IPL 2020, which was scheduled to be played from 29 March, was earlier postponed to 15 April before being suspended indefinitely

The Emirates Cricket Board has confirmed that it had expressed interest to host the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decides to shift the tournament away from India in the wake of the massive COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

A report in the ‘Gulf News’, as quoted by PTI, said that the UAE Cricket Board has made an offer to the BCCI that it can host the IPL.

“In the past, Emirates Cricket Board has successfully hosted IPL matches in UAE. We have a proven record of being hosts as a neutral venue for various bilateral and multi-nation cricket activities in the past,” its General Secretary Mubashshir Usmani was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

“Our state-of-the-art venues and facilities make the Emirates a desired place for hosting all types of cricket.”

Usmani said the Emirates Cricket Board had, in fact, offered their venues to England and Wales Cricket Board to complete the English season here as well.

“We have come forward and offered our venues to both England and India. We have also hosted matches involving the England team on multiple occasions previously. If our offer is taken up by either of the Boards, then we will be pleased to facilitate hosting of their matches,” he said.

Earlier, several reports had suggested that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had also proposed to the BCCI to get the hosting rights of the IPL. However, a senior BCCI official had dismissed the speculations soon after, saying: “There is no proposal from SLC yet and obviously no discussion.” The IPL 2020, which was scheduled to be played from 29 March this year, was earlier postponed to 15 April before it was suspended till further notice due to the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus.

However, several media reports including one by the news agency IANS suggested that the BCCI was looking at the possibility to host the 13th edition of the IPL from 25 September to 1 November, considering that the T20 World Cup – scheduled to take place at the same time – would be postponed.