The BCCI is confident of holding the upcoming IPL 2021 edition at home and is not thinking of even having a backup. Given that the board has decided to not have the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 87 years, opting for the white-ball tournaments for both men and women cricketers.
In what will be the return of domestic cricket in India since March 2020, the BCCI will host a couple of more domestic tournaments - the Vijay Hazare and a one-day tournament for women - in February and March, followed by the Indian Premier League (IPL) in April.
The board has also earmarked the Wankhede, Brabourne Stadiums, DY Patil Stadium, and Reliance Cricket Stadium in Navi Mumbai, and the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium on the outskirts of Pune for the same.
The state-of-the-art Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, will also be considered for matches and is more likely to host the knockouts.
IPL 2021: ‘We are working on having the IPL in India’, says BCCI treasurer
Meanwhile, returning to the IPL, the 14th edition of the cash-rich tournament will tentatively begin in the second week of April, between April 11 and 14, and conclude in the first week of June, around June 6.
During this time, the BCCI will also conduct the auction to introduce one new franchise to the IPL, even though it has necessary approvals from the general body to introduce two new franchises.
The decision to introduce just one new franchise, for now, was taken from a well-rounded viewpoint that it will allow the board to earn better value from the sale of the 10th team in the near future. With the tender for IPL's media rights auction slated to come out by the end of 2021, industry executives say, "the Board is making the right move".
BCCI will also be getting more by auctioning one team instead of two because one team will mean 76 matches while two (with a changed format) will mean 74.
"Two extra matches will mean that much more income from broadcast and other partners. Additionally, all teams will play two more matches and get more revenues from team sponsorship and tickets and will share 20% of that top-line revenue with BCCI. It's a win-win for now," say those tracking developments.
However, the ninth team will be available to play only from the 2022 edition. Further, with the BCCI deciding not to float a tender or an RPF for a title sponsor once again, the path will be set for the IPL's 2021 edition to get underway.
"India can't not host the IPL at home and say, it is ready to host the T20 World Cup later in the year. The BCCI conducted a very impressive IPL under a well-constructed bio-secure bubble when the pandemic was at its peak. There's no reason why the BCCI can't construct the same bubble here at home," sources say.
(Times of India inputs)
