IPL stays in India, to kick off March 23

Ending months of speculation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday confirmed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 will be staged in the country despite the general elections scheduled during the period.

The T20 league, however, will be held from March 23, earlier than its usual April-May window.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the two-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) comprising chairman Vinod Rai and former women’s captain Diana Edulji. The proposed date for the league was fixed after discussions with relevant authorities.

The staging of the 50-over World Cup in England, beginning May 30, led to the advancing of the IPL dates. The new BCCI constitution dictates a 15-day gap between the end of IPL and India’s international assignments.

The announcement put to rest the doubts of IPL being shifted out of India to avoid a clash with the general elections, the dates for which are yet to be announced. Twice the IPL has been played outside India because of the general elections. The 2009 edition was moved to South Africa, while in 2014, a few games were played in the UAE.

A BCCI statement said the complete schedule of the tournament will be issued later.

"Based on preliminary discussions with the appropriate central and state agencies/authorities, it was decided that the 12th edition of the world's most popular and competitive T20 tournament will be scheduled to be played in India," the statement read.

"It is proposed that the IPL 2019 will commence on March 23, 2019. The detailed schedule will be finalised in consultation with the appropriate authorities after the dates for the general elections are decided.

"The CoA will have detailed discussion with all the stakeholders before releasing the IPL 2019 schedule.