Australia’s Adelaide Oval is considering hosting a regular season IPL game as part of its next major move. As people in Australia are known for their love for sports, an IPL match at this iconic venue could be a blockbuster.
Adelaide Oval chairman Jamie Briggs and SACA boss Will Rayner are reported to be in talks with stakeholders to make this dream possible. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet been formally contacted in this regard.
IPL matches in Australia will be blockbusters.
According to a report published by SEN, “But sources with knowledge of high-level discussions in Adelaide believe the move to bring early season matches to Australia could be used as part of a reciprocal arrangement, with the BBL keen to play a match in Chennai.”
The report claimed, “An IPL match in Australia would sell out within minutes and attract millions of visitors to the city, which has already used the sport as a means of tourism through LIV Golf and the AFL’s Gather Round.”
Why have they chosen March to host the matches?
But why in March? March has been identified as the best time to host a high-profile match due to climate reasons. During March, the weather is pleasant enough to host cricket matches in South Australia. Also, there is a gap in the Australian cricket schedule in this time frame and this may also attract huge crowds.
The financial aspects behind the desire to host Indian Premier League matches are real. According to media reports, the South Australian government believes that cash-rich league matches could provide financial benefits to local people, which would exceed the food and drinks purchased when they are staged.
Final decision yet to be taken
Australia is expected to engage in a number of discussions with high-profile stakeholders, before formally approaching the BCCI. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, Don Farrell, Cricket Australia president Mike Baird, Tourism South Australia and Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg are reported to be involved in the development. It is also reported that the head of Cricket Australia was informed about this ambitious project during the Sheffield Shield final.
The news website reported before concluding the report, “When contacted by SEN, Briggs confirmed interest in bringing a regular season IPL game to the City of Churches. It comes as Cricket Australia plans to start the next BBL season in Chennai. As reported in SEN’s The New Ball last month, letters of interest have been sent to BBL clubs for the concept, which has yet to be rubber-stamped by the BCCI.”
So far only 4 seasons of the Indian Premier League have been held abroad. During the 2009, 2014, 2020 and 2021 seasons, the franchise league relocated outside India due to security concerns, general elections and the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure continuity amid these challenges, the tournaments were moved to South Africa (2009) and United Arab Emirates (2014, 2020, 2021).
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