The Board of Control for Cricket in India may host next season's Indian Premier League outside India following the spate of controversies that have dogged IPL 9.
Twelve IPL games were moved out of drought-hit Maharashtra on the Bombay high court's directive after a case was filed, stating that a substantial quantity of water was used in maintaining cricket stadia hosting IPL games in the state.
The IPL was twice played outside India, during election years. In 2009, IPL 3 moved for its entire duration to South Africa. Five years later, in 2014, IPL 7 shifted to the United Arab Emirates for the first 15 days, till voting in the general election ended.
'The IPL Governing Council will be looking at venues in India and abroad,' BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said on Thursday, April 21, adding, 'We have to check the availability of the venues and prevailing conditions.'
IPL 8 contributed Rs 11.5 billion ($182 million) to India's GDP, auditing firm KPMG revealed last October.
The total economic output associated with IPL matches in India for 2015 was estimated at Rs 26.5 billion ($418 million). This was the aggregate value of all transactions that took place as a direct, indirect or induced effect of the economic activity of the 2015 matches, the BCCI said.
If the IPL is moved abroad, it would definitely impact the economy and cut thousands of jobs directly and indirectly involved with organising the cricketing extravaganza every year.
- Please take the poll below and have your say:
