IPL likely to be held in India, no plans to shift venue

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is likely to be held in India even as the country goes to elections, according to a BCCI source.
The biggest cricket fest is likely to start on March 22 and the dates of the general election are likely to be announced around the same time, but a top source from BCCI confirmed that the IPL will be played in India.
“There is nothing like that, to shift the tournament outside the country, as the general election will also be at the same time. If any state doesn’t want to host the match at that time, with any justified reason, the match could be shifted to another venue,” a BCCI source said.
Teams have already fine-tuned their squads after the conclusion of the IPL 2024 auction, which was held in Dubai last month.
The auction saw the record for the most expensive player break twice. Australia star Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the history of the tournament as he was bagged by Kolkata Knight Riders for a price tag of Rs24.75 crore.
Along with this the IPL 2024 auction recorded an increase of 57 per cent from the previous auction’s viewers.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah took to X to announce that the IPL auction drew a total of 22.8 million viewers, higher than those for auctions held in the 2022 auction.
Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings will set out to defend their crown with MS Dhoni once again set to take charge.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan was optimistic about Dhoni’s return and told ANI, “He has recovered well (from his knee injury). He is undergoing his rehab programmes, started training. By the time the next IPL starts, I am sure he will be fit to play.”