Mumbai: The BCCI has received the central government’s formal approval to conduct this year’s Indian Premier League in the UAE, IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel revealed on Monday.
The IPL will be held in the UAE from September 19 to November 10 in three cities — Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The government had last week given an in principle go-ahead to the BCCI to shift the marquee league to the UAE due to rising cases of Covid-19 in the country.
Yes, we have received all the written approvals, Patel said when asked whether the permission has come in writing from both the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). When an Indian sports body shifts a domestic tournament abroad, it requires clearance from Home, External and sports ministries respectively.
Once we had the verbal okay from the government, we had intimated the Emirates Cricket Board. Now we have the papers also, so franchises can be intimated that everything is in order, a veteran BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.