The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, said that the T20 World Cup may have to be shifted to UAE due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While a final call hasn’t been taken yet, it is expected to be done soon.
“Due to the COVID-19 situation in our country, we may shift the tournament to UAE. We are monitoring the situation closely, the health and safety of the players are paramount we will take a final call soon.” said Jay Shah to ANI.
The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was suspended in May, due to Covid-19 cases in the team bubbles. The league is all set to resume from September 19, in the UAE. The finals are scheduled on October 15. It means that the league would end just before the start of the T20 World Cup.
Uncertainty over participation of foreign players in the IPL
The Indian Premier League franchises are sweating over the uncertainty of participation of foreign players in the league. The President of Cricket West Indies, Ricky Skerritt has already confirmed that the Caribbean Premier League will be hosted a few days before to accommodate the Indian Premier League.
Speaking to ANI, an official of an IPL franchise said that they are planning to send some officials to UAE post July 6, to check the COVID protocols in the country as the situation is different compared to the 2020 IPL season.
CWI President Ricky Skerritt has engaged with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in talks for a tweaked CPL schedule to accommodate the second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) June 22, 2021
” we are looking at heading to the uae post-july 6 once we get the go ahead from the bcci and the government so that we can seal the logistics deals. unlike last year, bulk bookings won’t be as easy this year as you will have people travelling into the country and that makes the work around bio-bubbles all the more critical.”