The UAE has gone crazy for cricket – around 20,000 tickets for the upcoming Indian Premier League tournament were snapped up within an hour of going on sale.

Organisers say almost 40,000 IPL tickets have been sold online since Thursday, with around half of those bought up in the first 60 minutes by eager cricket fans.

IPL governing council chairman Ranjib Biswal told Sport360 the response was “remarkable”.

The first leg of the tournament will kick off in Abu Dhabi on April 16. The league matches have been moved to the UAE because of general elections taking place in India.

“Apart from the cricket fans, the interest of cricket is growing among the people in the UAE,” Biswal told the newspaper. “The sale of tickets off the field will be complemented by some exhilarating cricket on the field.”

David East, chief executive of the Emirates Cricket Board, urged fans who haven’t secured tickets yet to do so fast.

“The spectators will come in huge numbers to support and savour the IPL,” he said.

Here is the full line-up of fixtures in Dubai…
April 19: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians AND Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils in Dubai
April 23: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings in Dubai
April 25: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Daredevils AND Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians in Dubai
April 28: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab in Dubai
April 30: Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai

And in the rest of the UAE…

April 16: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi
April 17: Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah
April 18: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab AND Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi
April 20: Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab in Sharjah
April 21: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils in Abu Dhabi
April 22: Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sharjah
April 24: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Sharjah
April 26: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore AND Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi
April 27: Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians AND Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah
April 29: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi

Tickets are available online at iplt20.com or ticketmaster.ae. They will also be available at selected Lulu Hypermarkets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah from tomorrow.