The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as the front-runner to host India's training camp along with Ahmedabad and Dharamsala being the other choices discussed at the BCCI Apex Council meeting on July 17.
With India’s COVID-19 cases surpassing a million mark this week, UAE is also favourite to host the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), which currently remains suspended ‘until further notice’ due to the deadly outbreak.
India’s Training Camp:
While the international cricket resumed with the England-West Indies Test series last week, Team India are yet to hit the ground running with a proper camp in wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.
It has been more than four months since India’s last international assignment and there is no clarity on their next fixture yet.
Amid the crisis, the BCCI in its Apex Council meeting mulled over organising a training camp for Indian cricketers in Dubai, the possibility of which will increase by many folds if the UAE gets to host the cash-rich tournament.
"If the IPL is held in the UAE, then it only makes sense the Indian cricketers train there before the tournament. They have a good infrastructure in place. UAE is the most likely choice for the IPL with India getting increasingly unsafe (due to COVID-19)," a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"The other likely options are training camp in either Dharamsala or Ahmedabad (at the renovated Motera stadium) with a bio-bubble in place. But the cases continue to increase in India, so UAE will be the safest option," the official added.
IPL Window:
Meanwhile, the BCCI zeroed in on late September-early November window for the IPL 2020, which was initially slated to start on March 29. But for that, the ICC ought to announce the cancellation of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15.
The final decision on the fate of T20 World Cup might come by Monday (July 20) after the ICC board meeting.
Domestic Cricket:
The Indian domestic season normally begins in September but this year, it will start from mid-December if the situation permits. The nearly three-month delay would lead to the cancellation of a few tournaments.
(With PTI inputs)
