Cape Town - South Africa could once again host the India Premier League after Cricket South Africa reportedly reportedly sent a proposal to the BCCI regarding its plan to be an alternative venue.
The BCCI are currently still in discussions regarding whether IPL 2022 will be held solely in Mumbai this year or be relocated overseas. The 2021 edition was concluded in the United Arab Emirates due to the alarming Covid-19 numbers in India at a great cost to the various franchises.
According to a Cricbuzz report, CSA and BCCI officials have had various meetings on the sidelines of the recent India tour to South Africa regarding the possibility of moving the IPL to Africa for a second time. South Africa hosted the IPL back in the 2009 across eight venues all around the country due the national elections being held back in India at the same time.
It is being reported that two seperate bio-secure environments could be set up in Johannesburg and Cape Town with the Highveld utilising four venues - The Wanderers, SuperSport Park in Centurion, Benoni's Willowmore Park and Senwes Park in Potchefstroom - while the Western Cape will consist of Newlands and Boland Park in Paarl.
The rationale surrounding these venues is to limit the amount of air travel from a cost factor, while the South African hotels set to be used to house the players, officials and staff will also be a much cheaper option than that of the UAE.
Four of the venues proposed had also just been used for India's recently concluded Test and ODI tour which ran smoothly under the bio-secure protocols implemented.
A further motivation for South Africa to host the IPL is the favorable time difference with India, which fits perfectly with the major broadcasters.
The IPL back in 2009 injected approximately close to US$100 million into South Africa's local economy, although that was of course conducted without any Covid-19 concerns which now prohibit spectators from attending the matches.
@ZaahierAdams