JUST IN: IPL 2019 could be held in South Africa

IPL 2019 could be held in South Africa, owing to elections in India during the months of April to June.

Elections have twice rendered the IPL to shift outside of India, once when the entire IPL had to be shifted to South Africa and once when half of the season was played in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

The Lok Sabha general elections are scheduled during the months of the IPL and thus this issue would come time and again for the IPL, with it having to shift to some other country for the entire or even for half of the season.

With multiple elections scheduled for the next year, Times of India has reported that the IPL could be shifted to South Africa, as police protections becomes an issue during the election months.

BCCI and Cricket South Africa would be hoping to strike a deal in order to help South Africa get ready for the Global T20 league that the country is getting ready to host.

The scheduling of the 2019 season is going to be a tough task for the BCCI and the IPL governing body, as the 2019 World Cup is scheduled to be held from May end to mid-July, and a 15 day break between an ODI tournament and IPL needed as per the Lodha Committee recommendations.