England front runner to host IPL matches

England appears to be the front runner for hosting the second season's IPL matches following the Cricket Board's decision on Sunday to shift the high-profile Twenty20 event overseas.

"England is the most logical venue because of the timings of the matches. There's a big chunk of Indian expatriates there to take care of the franchisees' revenue factor," sources in the IPL team franchises said.

England is also to host the ICC World Twenty20 Cup in June.

BCCI President Shashank Manohar said, after announcing the shifting of the IPL edition overseas, that a decision on the match venues would be known in a couple of days.

"We are in discussion with other boards and will decide the venue in next 2-3 days," he said.

IPL Commissioner and Chairman Lalit Modi, who was also present during the announcement, said the number of matches, format and timing of the event would remain unchanged and organisers would not tinker with the "integrity of the tournament".

"Dates and timings of the matches will remain the same. Indian audiences can watch the matches at 4 pm and 8 pm IST as they did in the inaugural season," Modi said.

"Revenue cannot be an issue; the 59-match tournament will remain as 59-match tournament. The issue is the integrity of the tournament," Modi added.