The BCCI is their effort to stage the remainder of IPL 2021 season in England is in talks with the England Cricket Board to shorten the five-match Test series to fit the IPL 2021 into the September window. India are scheduled to play a five-match Test series first game scheduled in Nottingham on August 4. The last Test is slated to begin on September 10 in Manchester.
As per a report in TOI, the boards are in discussion over figuring out a way to get a window for the remaining IPL season. If the IPL is to be played in England, the BCCI roughly gets a window of the couple of weeks with the T20 World Cup to be played in October-November later this year either in India or UAE (back-up venue). With around 31 matches left, the two-week window will fall short for all the matches to be completed.
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BCCI & ECB Are in Discussions To Tweak Five-Test Series: BCCI Official
“BCCI and the ECB are in discussions to tweak the five-Test series. Details of those discussions aren’t public yet. But in whichever manner the ECB agrees to tweak the Test series, they will want the IPL in England because the counties can earn from it. There’ll be a good chance of a quid pro quo,” the source in the know said according to the Times of India.
The English counties have expressed interest in hosting the tournament. The report quoted sources as saying even Sri Lanka was a potential backup venue for the 2021 IPL.
“Only if costs are escalating to a point where it starts affecting stakeholders, the BCCI will consider the UAE as the second option for the IPL. On that front, we aren’t even discounting the idea of hosting the IPL in Sri Lanka,” the sources further added.
The Indian men’s and the women’s team will leave for UK on June 2 for the World Test Championship final and England series. The WTC final will be played in Southampton between June 14-18. The England Test series starts from August 4.
The women’s team will start their tour with one-off Test in Bristol from June 16. Later, they will face England in 3 ODIs and as many T20Is.
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