Image courtesy of: The Hindustan Times

The IPL was held in South Africa in 2009

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced that this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held in either India or South Africa from April 9 to June 3.

The BCCI are determined to hold the tournament in India, but since it is scheduled to clash with the country’s federal elections, IPL officials believe South Africa should be the “preferred” choice.

“We are considering so many options with regards to the venue. We are waiting first for the home ministry to check the possible dates,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said. “As far as possible our interest is to hold the IPL in India. Then, probably, South Africa is the preferred venue at the moment. The second option is also there and the third option is also there.”

IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal is also looking to ensure that the tournament is held in India, and said: “We will be speaking to the officials in the government of India and the home ministry. We want to hold maximum number of matches in India and if we get the green signal (from the government), then probably the whole tournament can be played here.”