Reports: IPL 2019 schedule announcement delayed further

The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due this year will take place earlier than scheduled because of the ICC World Cup beginning on May 30 in England. The tournament is likely to begin in March though the announcement of the fixture has been delayed further and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the schedule in a week’s time.

Besides the advancement of the schedule due to the World Cup which is following next, the itinerary of the IPL also depends on the Lok Sabha election which is also due in a few months’ time. The schedule of the tournament was expected to be announced on February 4 but it didn’t happen and the BCCI is reportedly working closely with the Election Commission and other concerned authorities.

BCCI working closely with Election Commission

“We’re working closely with the Election Commission and all the authorities concerned and hopefully it will be out in a week,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by the Mumbai Mirror. The poll panel hasn’t yet announced the schedule of the general elections and that has impacted the decision on the IPL itinerary as well.

The clash of the IPL with general elections took place twice in the past. In 2009, the entire tournament was shifted to South Africa while in 2014, the initial matches of the tournament were played in the UAE and then it was shifted later to India. The starting date of the upcoming edition of the IPL has already been confirmed to be March 23 and also the BCCI said last month that it will be played in India.

Things are tighter for the IPL organisers this year because of the general elections as well as the World Cup. India will be the last team to begin their campaign at the mega event for there has to be a fixed gap between the IPL and the next international assignment.

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