The 2020 IPL will be held in the UAE, according to a report in ESPNcricinfo.

Brijesh Patel, IPL chairman, has reportedly confirmed that the competition will be held outside of India for the first time since 2014. A formal announcement is due to be made following the next meeting of the IPL board.

Patel said the BCCI were waiting for the postponement of the T20 World Cup, in order to create space in the calendar for the IPL to be held this winter. “We were waiting for the ICC to officially announce [the postponement],” he said. “We have applied [for permission] with the Indian government. Should get it.”

The competition was postponed indefinitely in April by the BCCI. Despite the board’s intentions to host the tournament on Indian shores, the number of Covid-19 cases in the country has made that practically impossible.

This will be the second time the IPL has been hosted in the UAE. In 2014 the first 20 games of the tournament were held in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai because of the Indian general elections. Patel confirmed that the same venues would be used in this year’s competition.

When he was questioned on whether the games would be played in empty stadiums Patel said, that it “depends on the UAE government”.