It has been only been a few days since BCCI halted IPL 2021 midway and already they have received plenty of proposals to host the remainder of the competition. Although there were efforts to host the tournament in India, but BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that the tournament cannot take place in India.
Meanwhile, BCCI decided to halt the 14th edition of the cash-rich league midway after several cases of COVID19 and a potential bio-bubble breach emerged. Two members of Kolkata Knight Riders, one Sunrsiers Hyderabad cricketer, one Delhi Capitals, and three members of Chennai Super Kings tested positive for the deadly virus.
Since then, a number of possible options have emerged to host the remainder of the tournament. With the Indian squad travelling to the UK for the World Test Championship final and subsequently the England series, they have become one of the front-runners to host IPL 2021. A couple of counties have already written to the England and Wales Cricket Board expressing their desire to stage the competition.
IPL 2021 cannot happen in India – Sourav Ganguly
However, attempts were made to host the tournament in India but BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has denied any such possibilities. In a recent interview with the Telegraph, Sourav Ganguly had said that the BCCI will look to find a window to complete the remaining games before the T20 World Cup.
“No. India is supposed to go to Sri Lanka for three ODIs and five T20Is. There are a lot of organizational hazards like 14-day quarantine. It can’t happen in India. This quarantine is tough to handle. Too early to say how we can find a slot to complete the remaining games,” said Sourav Ganguly.
Sourav Ganguly, when asked if the BCCI was too late in calling off the IPL, said the cash-rich league would have reached its culmination had there been no Covid positive cases among the players. Incidentally, BCCI came under the scanner for continuing with IPL 2021 despite the second wave of COVID wrecking havoc in the country.
“There are different scenarios, and it is not always helpful to be wise after the event. We don’t have the advantage. As I said, we would have continued if there were no cases. We would have completed the IPL. The players were in the bubble and there were no crowds at the venues. Players were not getting infected. Once the players got affected, we called it off. Look at leagues going around the world. They have had Covid cases, but they have continued,” Sourav Ganguly added.
