IPL 2021 is supposed to be concluded by the end of May.
The grand finale of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) has been pushed back by more than a week to ensure there are no clashes with the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League.
While the schedule for IPL 2021 is yet to be confirmed, there are talks of the season concluding by the end of May.
Earlier, the final of the WTC was scheduled to take place from June 10 at the historical Lord's Cricket Ground in London, England. While the venue remains to be the same, the final will now be played from June 18-22 with June 23 kept as a reserve day.
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The decision has been taken keeping in mind the quarantine periods the players will have to undergo if they have to travel from India post the IPL. Hence, the dates have been pushed to avoid any overlaps.
A BCCI source told PTI, “The WTC Final will now be played from June 18-22 and June 23 will be the reserve day. As background we pushed it back to allow for any quarantine that may be imposed, particularly given the close proximity to the end of the IPL and the original dates so driven by quarantine.”
Currently, India (71.7% points) are at the top of the WTC points table followed by New Zealand (70.0%) and Australia (69.2%). The hosts for the final, England (68.7%) are not too far away as well.
(With inputs from PTI)