South Africa could be the possible venue for the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) should the tournament coincide with the upcoming general elections in India.
According to a report by the Mumbai Mirror, the BCCI will send a two-man recce team to South Africa to check the feasibility of conducting the cash-rich T20 league there next year.
India is all set to go for general elections in 2019 and the possibility of them clashing with IPL dates is great considering the last elections in 2014 had seen the tournament being partially shifted to the UAE.
The report adds that UAE remains the frontrunners to hosts the event should the tournament have to be only partially moved out of India. However, should the entire tournament be required to shift to an alternate venue, then South Africa could be the most viable option.
UAE hosted some matches of the IPL in 2009.
The two-man recce team is expected to spend 10 days in South Africa inspecting various venues and will make a stopover in Dubai on their way back to discuss the possibility of conducting IPL matches in the UAE with Emirates Cricket Board officials.
The final decision of the staging of the 2019 edition is expected to be announced once the dates of the general elections have been released.
The tournament has been previously held in South Africa in 2009 when general elections were called in India at the same time. In 2014, some of the matches in the tournament were played in the UAE owing to the general elections once again.
