Reports: CSA express interest in hosting IPL 2022

The IPL 2022 will be a 10-team affair with the introduction of two new franchises- Lucknow and Ahmedabad respectively. It has been reported that the 15th edition of the marquee tournament will be entirely held in India for a period of two months i.e. from the last week of March to the end of May.

While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet zeroed in on a backup venue, as per reports, it has been learned that Cricket South Africa (CSA) has come forward and expressed its interest in staging this year’s Indian Premier League.

According to Cricbuzz, the discussions have been taking place between the BCCI and CSA with particular emphasis on venues for which there would be no or bare minimum air travel, cutting down on the expenses for the franchises. Apart from all these, conducting the tournament in the ‘Rainbow Nation’ would be much cheaper than what it was while hosting the previous one in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

CSA propose venues for staging next IPL: Reports

As per CSA’s blueprint, the matches will be played in four centers in and around Johannesburg with team bubbles created. They include Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, Centurion Park in Pretoria, Willowmoore Park in Benoni, and Senwes Cricket Stadium in Potchefstroom respectively. While all these are floodlit stadiums, they are also within driving distance from one another which means that it will ultimately reduce logistical expenses. The report further adds that the teams would be based out of Johannesburg.

At the same time, the report also states that since there are 10 teams and 74 games as compared to the original schedule of eight teams and 60 matches, CSA has also proposed that a part of the league can be played at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town as well as Boland Park in Paarl.

If everything is finalized mutually then this will be the second time that the IPL would be played in South Africa. The cash-rich tournament was moved to the country in 2009 due to the Lok Sabha elections. The tournament was won by the now-defunct Deccan Chargers who defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a high-voltage clash.