Despite the general elections scheduled for the same time, the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) will indeed be held in India. Arun Dhumal, the IPL chairman, confirmed to Dainik Jagran that the 17th edition of the IPL will take place as planned, from March to May, alongside the Assembly Elections to select the next Prime Minister of India. The exact schedule for the IPL will be announced after the election dates are finalized.
However, there could be logistical challenges in areas where a large number of police officers are needed to maintain security during elections. This is similar to the situation faced by the IPL in 2019 when the schedule was adjusted to avoid clashes with election dates, ensuring that IPL games didn't coincide with voting processes. It remains to be seen how cities hosting IPL matches will manage security while elections are taking place concurrently.
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Dhumal said, “The IPL will be held in India next year. We will need time to make the schedule because it will be made after the Election Committee announces the dates of the general elections. We will have to see when the different states have their elections and will make the schedule accordingly. We will need to wait and will need to work with the government.”
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The Indian Premier League (IPL) has faced clashes with Assembly Elections on three occasions in the past – in 2009, 2014, and 2019. In 2009, the entire IPL tournament was held in South Africa, marking the first time the event was hosted outside India.
In 2014, the first 20 matches of the IPL were played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before being relocated to India in May to avoid a clash with the general elections.
In 2019, the IPL was held entirely in India, despite coinciding with the general elections in the country, demonstrating the tournament's popularity and logistical adjustments made to accommodate it during election seasons.