The elections in India and the IPL 7 tournament are mutually exclusive events. To beg off staging the world’s most money soaked cricket league citing security reasons is more of a slur on Indian capabilities to ensure safety than it is bed-rocked in any sort of wisdom. It is so wrong on so many levels.

To then hand it over part of it to South Africa makes the planning not just haphazard but turns it into a logistical nightmare. And if India really has to duck its responsibilities on a tourney that is scarcely the Olympics then it is common sense to have the co-host next doors. What better option than the UAE? You have the crowds (which South Africa may or may not) while the level of facilities and the security do not even merit comparison.

The ‘ring of fire’ stadium in Dubai is perhaps the most advanced in the world. The Sharjah stadium is iconic and still the Guinness record holder for the maximum number of one-day matches played at any venue. The Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi boasts state of the art splendor and you do not need more than three first-rate playing grounds.

But most vital, it is the travel time. UAE to India’s major cities is often lesser flying time than several domestic sectors. With a happy tailwind you can get to Delhi and Mumbai in just over a couple of hours as you can most of the other venues. It is literally like playing in the same country if you see it in distance terms.

Why then would you split a tournament into two nations 11 flying hours apart. At some stage even if you divide the teams into two groups they will have to play each other and the toll from jet lag will be enough to ruin a team’s chances.

If you want a little cherry on the cake it is that the ICC headquarters are in the Emirates so if it is good enough for the governing body it is more than right for the teams. Even the high-flying sponsors and celebs who stud these matches and create a star spangled sideshow would be more comfortable trekking two hours rather than 11…and that is if the flight is on time.

Come Friday and the IPL committee will make a decision, which, incredibly at this moment, favors South Africa. They don’t tell you why because they cannot justify it. And they cannot even begin to explain why they would incur the extra costs what with the teams playing 10 of their 14 matches at the league stage in the co-opted nation.

The whole thing is a no brainer. With the best infrastructure globally, the UAE wins on every count except the technical one that South Africa has staged the IPL before, which really is not an issue of major import.

The UAE stages world level tournaments on a regular basis so this is small potatoes.

The very fact that the Indian cricket mandarins are even considering another option to this most obvious one certainly raises a red flag. Does it hearken back to last month when the South Africans capitulated and helped India become king of the cricket walk and is this now the time to say thanks? Most likely it is because there can be no other satisfactory defense. The UAE has the grounds (in more ways than one) the history, the best R and R and lifestyle options and the crowds, let’s not forget that. Expats who are fanatic about the game and will come in droves to the games with the intensity that one would have seen in India. You cannot say the same for South Africa.

Time to get real and stop messing about. If India wants to express its gratitude to the South Africans don’t do it at the expense of the game. The IPL T20 is a carnival of cricket certainly but it is a fun time and plain common sense calls for it to be in the Emirates, if it has to go outside India. Not to come here is to show a personal prejudice that is unattractive and not in the true spirit of sport especially since the Emirates Cricket Board has already shown its willingness to play host.