The preparations for the richest cricket League in the world are under full swing as the showdown looms with the South Indian derby between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings.

The BCCI released the IPL schedule but only for a small part of the first phase.

The Indian Cricket Board has been waiting for the Election Commission of India to release the General election dates. The ECI is going to hold a press conference this afternoon announcing the election dates for the much anticipated Lok Sabha elections. The elections are expected to significantly impact the scheduling of the next set of IPL matches.

According to a report from the Times of India (TOI), the second leg of the Indian Premier League is expected to be played in the UAE. The matches from the last week of April could take place in the UAE as the Indian election gets into its heated phase. Having both General Elections and IPL becomes a nightmare for security officials and agencies.

However, the BCCI has successfully conducted full IPL season matches during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But during the 2014 general elections, the Indian Cricket Board after consulting with the Indian government and security agencies shifted a significant part of the franchise season to the UAE.

Such rumors of playing outside the country are usually ripe when General elections and IPL clash every five years. However, there is no official confirmation on the splitting of the 17th IPL season between India and the UAE. Cricket fans have taken to social media already to express their displeasure with the possibility as the slow pitches in the Middle Eastern nation rarely produce exciting encounters between teams.

The last time a part of IPL was played in the UAE was in 2021 right before the T20 World Cup. Chennai Super Kings were crowned champions after a nightmarish 2020 season that was marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. The flashes of the unpleasant 2020 IPL season in the UAE are still alive in many cricket fans.