The remaining 20 games of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 will be held in Abu Dhabi from June 9 to June 24 and the organizers believe it is a perfect rehearsal for the ICC in case the T20 World Cup 2021 has to be moved out of India because of the COVID-19 situation.

The ICC has already shortlisted UAE as the backup venue for the marquee event if India can’t stage it on home soil in October-November.

Meanwhile, BCCI has sought a month extension from the ICC to take an appropriate call on the hosting of T20 World Cup.

In order to conduct the remainder of PSL 2021 in UAE, PCB had to overcome plenty of logistical challenges, including acquiring visas for the participants and getting the permission from authorities to land its charter flights from Mumbai and Johannesburg carrying members of the broadcasting crew.

“The logistical challenges that we found will be similar challenges, bringing more countries over from different parts of the world for the World Cup in the UAE,” PCB CEO Wasim Khan told the Associated Press.

The PSL “is a perfect precursor leading into the ICC decision, which is strongly considering UAE as the venue,” for the T20 World Cup.

According to Khan, most of the ICC member nations would be comfortable playing the showpiece tournament in UAE.

“Ultimately it’s a decision for the ICC, but right now, if you ask me, I would say that it’s likely to probably take place in the UAE," he said.

Notably, BCCI has also decided to hold the remaining 31 games of IPL 2021 in UAE, wherein the cash-rich tournament was successfully conducted last year. While the tentative dates are yet to come, the T20 league will be played in the September-October window.

The 14th edition of Indian Premier League was postponed indefinitely on May 4 after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported inside the bio-bubble of various franchises.