MUMBAI: The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held in India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced, allaying fears of franchises, brands, fans and most importantly the broadcaster Star India. The cash-rich league will kick off from 23 March 2019 said the Indian board after the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) met on Tuesday to discuss the tournament’s venues and window.

"Based on the preliminary discussions with the appropriate central and state agencies/authorities, it was decided that the 12th edition of the world's most popular and competitive T20 tournament will be scheduled to be played in India," a statement issued by the BCCI read.

The CoA will have detailed discussion with all the stakeholders before releasing the IPL 2019 schedule.

"It is proposed that the IPL 2019 will commence on 23 March 2019. The detailed schedule will be finalised in consultation with the appropriate authorities," it added.

The BCCI’s announcement put an end to months of speculation about IPL’s venue given the possibility of it clashing with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the dates of which are yet to be communicated by the Election Commission.

“Franchises, sponsors and broadcast rights holders, and more importantly the fans, will be delighted,” tweeted veteran sports commentator Harsh Bhogle after the development.

The last time the IPL was held in March was way back in 2010. Since then, the league has always commenced in the first half of April and ended in May.

Spatial Access CEO Vineet Sodhani said, “The elections give better reach to brands than cricket at a far lesser cost. It may be a good alternative or some kind of blend that brands can do with little bit of elections and little of cricket.”

The dates have been changed due to the ODI World Cup in England from May 30. According to the new BCCI constitution, it is mandatory to have a 15-day gap between the end of the IPL and India's international engagements.

The IPL has hosted outside India twice due to general elections. The entire 2009 edition was moved to South Africa, while in 2014, some matches were played in the UAE.