Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) apex council will be holding a virtual meeting on October 17 with the start of the domestic season and hosting England for a full series being the main points of discussion.
Traditionally starting in August, the domestic season is yet to begin due to various complications borne out of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Even though board president Sourav Ganguly said they are preparing to conduct as many tournaments in the winter as possible despite these circumstances, according to a report by Sportstar, "the state associations and the players are waiting for an official word" on the matter.
The report added, "Initially, the BCCI had decided to start the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy from November 19, but as of now, there has not been any progress on that front and most of the associations are worried that the season could be further delayed due to the rise of COVID-19 cases."
"We have our plans in place but there are a lot of factors that we need to keep in mind before going ahead with the season," a senior board official was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
"States have different protocols and the state associations need to follow the guidelines accordingly. The health and safety is of utmost importance and we are monitoring the situation."
The BCCI hosted an astonishing 2,036 games in the 2019-20 domestic season across all age groups and categories. However, to replicate that is a herculean task, given the challenge of creating bio-secure bubbles for so many teams in a widespread land such as India.
The Ranji Trophy, country's premier first-class competition, a section of the BCCI officials believe, can be held in the zonal format this time. But that as well would only be feasible if the situation around the viral outbreak improves significantly in the coming days and weeks.
"As they wait for an official confirmation from the Board, some of the state units - Cricket Association of Bengal, Cricket Association of Pondicherry and Sikkim Cricket Association - have already started their fitness camps and even plan to take the next step," states the report.
"The Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) has decided to conduct a one-month training camp for its senior men’s squad in a bio-secure environment from October 14."
Discussions will also be held on England's scheduled trip to India for five Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is from January to March 2021.
When it was speculated that the matches could be played in UAE, Ganguly said they'll do as best they can to keep those games within India and may look to create bio-bubbles in Mumbai for the same, with the city featuring three international stadiums - Wankhede Stadium, Cricket Club of India and DY Patil Stadium - in close proximity.
But, as per Sportstar, "the board is looking at various options to create a bio-bubble, and the state-of-the-art infrastructure at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad could also be considered for the bubble."
“The situation is still fluid, but we have to discuss various points and make sure that we are ready," said the BCCI official, with the likelihood that the final dates and venues for India's tour to Australia can also arrive around the time of the apex council meeting.
