The 2021 T20 World Cup which was supposed to be hosted by India in October-November later this year, is now set to be shifted to the UAE, especially after the BCCI was forced to postpone the IPL 2021 midway after COVID cases erupted in the teams’ bio-bubble.
BCCI also acknowledged that none of the participating teams would be “comfortable” coming here because “a third wave” of COVID-19 cases is expected at the time of the event.
Though a final decision would be taken in a month’s time, it is understood that even BCCI is not sure of holding the tournament which features 16 teams due to the COVID crisis in India.
PTI has learnt BCCI officials have had very recent discussions with some of the top decision-makers in the central government and a shift to the UAE has been more or less agreed upon. The dates of the marquee competition, which was planned across nine venues, have not yet been finalized.
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“The suspension of IPL within four weeks is an indicator that it’s not really safe to host a global event of that magnitude at a time when the country is fighting its worst health crisis in last 70 years. There is a chance of a third wave hitting the Indian shores in November. So while BCCI will remain the hosts, the tournament will probably shift to the UAE,” a senior BCCI source privy to the development said on conditions of anonymity.
Health experts have warned of a third wave in India in September, a view that has been shared by Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope.
“You can be rest assured that most of the top nations wouldn’t like to tour India within next six months unless the situation comes to normalcy. The players and their families would be very wary to travel if they are in the middle of another surge. So expect BCCI to agree with shift of tournament to UAE,” another source also chipped in.
“The IPL in India was a platform to prove to the world as well as participating nations that it is safe to host a tournament even when the second wave is hitting its peak. It was going well but the bio bubble has now become porous. What’s the guarantee it won’t happen again in October-November. Nations like Australia, England, and New Zealand are almost certain to have travel advisories in place,” he argued.
Also one of the reasons for shifting the T20 World Cup to UAE is that the whole tournament can be limited to three venues- Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi — and there is no air travel.
“In UAE, all of them were in one bubble from start to finish while here each team was traveling to three bubbles. Most of the positive cases emerged after bubble travel. Therefore even if you reduce the number of venues from 9 to 5 in October, still there will be air travel, unlike UAE. Also for players, they would not be mentally in a space to play in India unless the situation drastically improves,” he added.
The ICC will take a final call in a meeting that will take place in June.
(PTI inputs)
