BCCI joint secretary Thakur pleads with government to permit IPL 2014 to be held in India

New Delhi: With the dates of IPL-7 likely to clash with the Lok Sabha elections in April-May this year, BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur today requested the Indian government to allow the organisers of the Twenty20 league to hold the tournament in the country.

Lok Sabha elections are expected to be held in the same months when Indian Premier League matches are scheduled to take place in different cities across the country. There is a possibility that some of the matches or even the entire seventh edition may be shifted abroad.

The BCCI is reportedly mulling over the possibility of holding one part of the league in some other country in wake of the event clashing with the general elections.

"My humble request to the government and to the BCCI is, why loose out on the revenue. Why let it go outside of the country? Why lose out on the foreign exchange? Let us try our best and do it within the country. I personally feel that IPL-7 should be held in the country," he said on the sidelines of a function in the capital.

"We have created this domestic tournament, which is accepted globally and generates thousands of crores of rupees and also creates a lot of employment opportunities in the country," added Thakur, who is also the president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA).

South Africa had hosted the T20 league in 2009 when the central government refused to provide security due to the general elections that year.

The IPL-7 players' auction will be held on February 12-13 in Bangalore.