Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) President Mohammed Azharuddin has on Sunday (February 28) insisted that Hyderabad is capable of conducting the forthcoming 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 amid the challenging COVID-19 conditions.
Former India captain further said Hyderabad is “absolutely capable” of preparing a bio-secure bubble and conducting the forthcoming IPL 2021 as per Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) directives, as he conveyed HCA’s willingness to host the tournament to BCCI and IPL office bearers.
His comments came after KT Rama Rao, Working President of Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Minister of state for MA&UD, Industries, and IT&C of Telangana, appealed the BCCI and IPL office bearers to include Hyderabad as one of the venues for the upcoming IPL 14.
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Azharuddin tweed: “I strongly support the appeal by @ktrtrs. Hyderabad is absolutely capable of handling and conducting @IPL as per @BCCI's directives and preparing a bio-secure bubble.”
While Rao wrote on Twitter: “Open appeal to @BCCI and @IPL office bearers to include Hyderabad as one of the venues for upcoming IPL season. Our effective COVID containment measures are reflected in our low number of cases among all metro cities in India & we assure you of all support from the Govt.”
Noteworthy, a BCCI official close to the development had recently revealed that the idea of hosting IPL 2021 in more than one city has been discussed among the board members. Some of the cities that have been discussed are Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad among others for the tournament.
The official told ANI: “We are exploring the possibility of conducting the IPL at more venues than originally planned. The intent is to take it to more fans as the situation is moving towards normalcy. The feasibility of the bio-secure bubble and logistics will of course be crucial to determine the venues finally. It is a fluid situation and the health of the participants is our primary concern.”
He added, “With multiple cities, obviously there will be individual bubbles. While we want fans from different cities to enjoy the games, the safety of the players and those involved in the league will be a priority.”
(With ANI Inputs)
