The T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in India later this year, is set to be held in the United Arab Emirates. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially intimated the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the tournament will be moved to UAE because of the Covid-19 situation in India.
However, the ICC will not finalise the schedule for the T20 World Cup before July.
“We have officially intimated the ICC that the T20 World Cup can be shifted to the United Arab Emirates. The details are being chalked out,” Ganguly told PTI.
“The decision was taken keeping health safety concerns of all stakeholders in mind,” he added.
Asked if October 17 has been finalised as the start date of the tournament, Ganguly said, “We will be able to finalise itinerary details in some days. October 17 start hasn’t yet been finalised.”
Back in May, the Indian Premier League 2021 had to be suspended because of the rising Covid-19 cases and after a few players had tested positive. The remainder of the tournament will now be played in the Middle East.
Several tournaments had to be called off or postponed in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. The entire Indian Premier League in 2020 was shifted to UAE and the tournament was played out without a glitch.
Back in May, the Indian Premier League 2021 had to be suspended because of the rising Covid-19 cases and after a few players had tested positive. The remainder of the tournament will now be played in the Middle East.
Several tournaments had to be called off or postponed in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. The entire Indian Premier League in 2020 was shifted to UAE and the tournament was played out without a glitch.
Hosting the T20 World Cup in UAE was certain ever since BCCI shifted the remaining half of the tournament to the UAE. India continues to battle with Covid-19 and with the new Delta 3 variant there is every possibility of a third wave in the country in October. Also, India is on the ‘Red List’ of countries like England and Australia and travelling could be an issue if the rules are not relaxed by then.
Earlier, the BCCI had successfully managed to seek a 1-month period for deciding on hosting the T20 World Cup in India. The International Cricket Council (ICC), in its Board Meeting June 1, said the BCCI will have to respond by June 28.
The BCCI said on May 29 that it had authorised its office bearers to seek an extension in time to decide on the T20 World Cup amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The BCCI has the hosting rights for this year’s edition, scheduled to be held in October-November. Notably, the T20 World Cup was postponed last year due to the pandemic.
The ICC, in a statement, said that it has urged its management to focus on planning for the possibility of hosting the T20 World Cup in UAE.
“The ICC Board has requested management focus its planning efforts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on the event being staged in the UAE with the possibility of including another venue in the Middle East. A final decision on the host country will be taken later this month. The Board also confirmed that the BCCI will remain the hosts of the event regardless of where the event is played,” the ICC had said.
The BCCI had, earlier this year, zeroed in on as many as 9 venues to host the T20 World Cup. The likes of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Dharamsala, Hyderabad and Lucknow were marked as the potential venues for the showpiece T20 event which will see 16 teams battling for the top prize.
