Remaining 31 games of IPL 2021 will be held in UAE in the September-October window.
While the official schedule is yet to be released, media reports suggest that the cash-rich tournament will be played from September 19 to October 15.
In the latest development, it is learnt that some IPL franchises are sweating over the logistics as the Dubai Expo also gets underway from October 1.
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According to a report published in ANI, some franchises are concerned about the rising prices of hotel rooms with the second phase of IPL clashing with Dubai Expo.
Meanwhile, BCCI is yet to approve the travel of some of the franchises to UAE to sort out the hotel deals and other logistics.
"We are yet to get the go-ahead from the BCCI and it is understandable with an eye on the COVID-19 situation. What we do understand is that we will get clarity from the board on the plan ahead around July 15. After that, we could be free to travel,” a franchise official told ANI.
"But looking at how the COVID-19 situation is always changing, we might look at video calls to complete the bookings. We need to keep in mind the Dubai Expo and how it might make it difficult to get bulk rooms with every passing day," the official said.
In fact, creating a bio-bubble will also be challenging as people from across the globe would be arriving in Dubai for the six-month long event.
Speaking on the same line, another official told ANI: "We have the Dubai Expo starting from October 1. Getting hotel rooms that are isolated from the rest of the guests staying in a hotel can be a real challenge. It isn't the same as last time because the tourists coming to UAE last time was minimal as compared to what is expected for the Expo. The sooner we can close the deal, the better because once we have locked the rooms, we have to play the bubble which needs to be foolproof."
An official of another franchise raised concern over the rising prices of hotels, adding that securing 80-100 rooms in a wing can be difficult, which will make managing the bio-bubble more difficult.
"We are looking at a new hotel this time around and we want around 80-100 rooms and preferably in a separate wing so that there is no chance of the players or staff entering and exiting from the same passage as used by the guests staying in the hotel.
"There is no doubt that creating the bubble will be a challenge as we will have more people coming into UAE this time as compared to last year. The logistics team will need to sit down with the blueprint of the hotel and plan meticulously as there is no second chance here," the official said.
(With ANI inputs)