IPL 2020 and second half of IPL 2021 were hosted in UAE due to COVID-19 outbreak in India.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly says he is optimistic about hosting IPL 2022 in India.
Hosting the last two editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) hasn’t been a piece of cake for BCCI. The COVID-19 outbreak in India in 2020 forced the governing body to shift the cash-rich league to UAE.
After successfully conducting the 13th edition of the tournament in UAE, BCCI then decided to host the marquee tournament in India in 2021, however, COVID-19 cases inside the bio-bubble of teams forced them to postpone the league midway and host the other half of the tournament in UAE, which concluded recently.
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With two new teams set to be added for the IPL 2022, it is expected that the next edition of the tournament will be a blockbuster season and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly says that they will give their best to host the cash-rich league in India as COVID-19 situation in the country will be better by then and they are hopeful of hosting it in front of packed stands.
"I hope so, because it's India's tournament. As much as you see the superb atmosphere in Dubai, it's different in India. It's absolutely madness in India with the stands full. We'd love to have it back in India. I'm sure in the next seven-eight months, the COVID-19 situation will be very different, and we can host it in India with packed stands and the supporters pouring,” Sourav Ganguly said.
While talking about the pitches in ICC T20 World Cup 2021, the BCCI president said that among all the venues, only Sharjah is expected to be a slow wicket but overall it’ll be a thrilling tournament.
"I don't think so. Maybe in Sharjah, it will be, because of the wickets. But Dubai is an absolute belter. Abu Dhabi will be a great surface to bat on, and it's going to be a great World Cup,”
After successfully hosting the second leg of the IPL 2021, the next challenge for the BCCI will be to conduct the ICC event smoothly, which also was shifted to UAE and Oman due to the COVID-19 outbreak in India.
(Reuters inputs)