The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the remainder of the IPL 2021 season will be played in the UAE including the 31 games which also have 3 playoffs and the final. The IPL 14 is scheduled in UAE in the September-October window.
The franchises have started working on the logistics. The franchises are looking to move base to UAE in August’s third week and a final call will be taken after discussions with BCCI on quarantine protocols among other things.
As for the availability of the foreign players for the second half of the IPL 2021, the franchises are confident that the BCCI will engage in positive discussions with the foreign boards and make the foreign players available for the remaining games.
"As of now, we only have the communication that the remaining part of the IPL will be held in the UAE after Saturday's Special General Meeting. We are also aware that the BCCI office-bearers are in talks with the ECB on the plan of action and are currently in Dubai. So, once we have clarity on the protocols that will be in place, especially with regards to teams quarantining after reaching UAE, we can block the hotel rooms accordingly," an official of one of the franchises told ANI.
"Talks are on and once we hear from the BCCI on the travel plan, we will close the deal with the hotel. Barring one or two teams, you can expect most of the teams to book the same hotels which they did last season because it helps as both the teams as well as the hotel staff know exactly what they are looking at when it comes to the bio-bubbles and arrangements for travel to the ground and other areas that need special focus with an eye on the COVID-19 situation," the official explained.
Another official said the teams are fixated on knowing about the readiness of foreign cricketers for some of the boards might have T20 World Cup training on top of their mind and could be reluctant to leave their players for the IPL.
"What we were made aware of after the BCCI SGM is that the board will be speaking to the foreign boards and check on the availability of the foreign cricketers. We are confident that the BCCI will find the best possible solution and honestly, it is a matter of the BCCI officials speaking to the respective board officials, so we should wait to hear from the board on this.
Yes, if we do end up missing some of the foreign stars, that is an area that would need some attention when it comes to picking replacements as the foreign players are also integral to the teams. Team balance can go for a toss, so keeping fingers crossed on that one," the official said.
The official also said that they expect the BCCI to give them a dateline like before to start moving to the UAE and final plans will be made only after official communication from the board.
"If you remember, last year we were given a specific date (August 20) before which we couldn't leave for UAE. With the tournament once again starting around September 18-19, we should be given the same kind of window to start shifting base to UAE. With the discussions with hotels already on, it shouldn't be such a big concern. As of now, we are looking at traveling around the third week of August," the official told ANI.
(ANI inputs)
