New Delhi, March 12
The BCCI has decided to conduct the initial phase of IPL-7 in United Arab Emirates and keep Bangladesh on standby for some of the matches, which have been scheduled to take place from April 16 to June 1.

The tournament, which had to be partly shifted out of the country owing to the General Election, will return to India for the final phase from May 13 though the BCCI has sought the government's permission to stage matches in the country from May 1.

The early return to India would be possible only if the government agrees to provide security to the tournament in states where polling would have concluded at that stage. “The BCCI is pleased to announce that the 2014 Pepsi IPL season will start on April 16, 2014, and conclude on June 1 2014,” Board Secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.

The initial phase of the tournament would be played out at three venues in the UAE - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah from April 16 to 30.