IPL 2019 may be held outside India due to the General Elections next year. (BCCI Photo)

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 might be preponed keeping in mind the ICC World Cup next year, which begins on May 30 even as India play their first match against South Africa on June 6.

The Indian team management, particularly captain Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, requested the BCCI Committee of Administrators (CoA) to allow adequate rest to the fast bowlers for the World Cup in a meeting held last month.

During the meeting in Hyderabad, Kohli suggested resting pacers, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, from the entire IPL to keep them fresh for the World Cup.

Mumbai Indians captain and India's vice-captain Rohit Sharma, along with the IPL management, were reluctant about the above suggestion and hence, the CoA might accommodate the same by beginning the IPL a bit early.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the IPL is likely to be scheduled for March 23. Cricinfo also states that IPL's chief operating officer Hemang Amin is understood to have told CoA that the franchises will need to agree if Kohli's request is to be implemented and that would be difficult.

It is also understood that the two-member CoA, Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji, also spoke to Kohli and Shastri about the team's performances overseas despite being the No.1 Test side and also showed their displeasure over some of the grievances and demands put in by the team management and players.

The CoA also came down strongly at Shastri for calling this Indian side the best travelling team of the last 15 years. CoA were clear that it is for the people to judge and not for the India coach to state.

"Ravi initially started off by saying that the Indian media always criticises its own players and how this is one of the best ever teams in the last 15 years," an official present in the meeting told news agency PTI.

"When Ravi went on about how great this current team is, one of the COA members just cut him short.

"The COA member told him, 'Let's stick to the agenda of the meeting and discuss Australia tour policies. You don't decide if the team is the best travelling side in the world. Let people be the judge'," the official said.

The meeting was attended by COA chief Vinod Rai, Diana Edulji, CEO Rahul Johri, IPL COO Hemang Amin, GM (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim along with Kohli, Shastri, Rohit, Rahane and chairman of selectors MSK Prasad.

According to ESPNCricinfo, BCCI is also looking into the chances of organising the IPL in India next year but a final call can only be taken when the Central Election Commission announces the dates of the General Elections.

For the same, BCCI has already taken stock of South Africa if the IPL is indeed to be organised outside India.