Eyebrows were raised when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to host the first leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) seventh edition in the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) which is known to be a den of bookies and match-fixers.


Interim BCCI-IPL president Sunil Gavaskar 

After the ugly episode of match-fixing in 2000, the Indian board had in principle agreed to not play any matches in the UAE. However, after the successful completion of the IPL in the desert recently, the buoyed IPL members believe it will help change the perception of playing in the gulf.