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IPL 2022: South Africa proposes to host T20 League to BCCI

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told its ten IPL franchises that the venue would be decided around February 20

IPL 2022: South Africa proposes to host T20 League to BCCI
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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 15th season is just a few months away in 2022, and Cricket South Africa (CSA) has thrown their hat in the ring to host the T20 league just days after Team India's tour ended. It is thought that CSA is stating that hosting the IPL 2022 in Africa will be less expensive than hosting it in the UAE.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told its ten IPL franchises that the venue would be decided around February 20, with India being the front-runner and the UAE and South Africa also plausible choices. The Indian cricket team recently completed a three-Test and three-ODI tour of South Africa without any bio-bubble breaches or COVID-related issues, with South Africa's director of cricket, Graeme Smith, thanking BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, as well as the Indian team, for putting their trust in Cricket South Africa (CSA) to organise the tour.

According to a source on the Cricbuzz website, talks between the Indian board and the CSA are underway, "with particular emphasis on sites for which there would be no or bare minimal plane travel, cutting down on the franchisees' expenses."

According to reports, the CSA has promised that accommodation rates in South Africa will be'significantly lower than in the UAE.'

The CSA has proposed hosting the matches in four locations in and around Johannesburg, with the teams' bio-secure environment in the capital city, according to the article. The four grounds are floodlit and within driving distance of one another: Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, Centurion Park in Pretoria, Willowmoore Park in Benoni, and Senwes Cricket Stadium in Potchefstroom.

According to the source, considering that the 15th edition of the IPL will be a 10-team affair with 74 games as opposed to 60 last year, the CSA requested that a portion of the tournament be played at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town and the neighbouring Paarl venue.

During the India-South Africa series, the two grounds hosted four of the six games — one Test and three One-day Internationals. In 2009, South Africa hosted the IPL over eight stadiums, however there were no COVID-19 concerns at the time.

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