Considering the grim COVID-19 situation in India, it has become immensely challenging for the country to stage the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, slated to be played in October-November.
Last month, BCCI had requested ICC to give them time till June 28 to take a call on the hosting of T20 World Cup, but board secretary Jay Shah has now conceded that the marquee tournament may have to be shifted from India to UAE.
"Due to the COVID-19 situation in our country, we may shift the tournament to UAE. We are monitoring the situation closely, the health and safety of players are paramount we will take a final call soon," Shah told ANI on Saturday (June 26).
After its Special General Meeting (SGM) last month, BCCI had announced that the remaining 31 games of IPL 2021 will be held in UAE in the September-October window.
On Friday (June 25), ESPNcricinfo reported that the T20 World Cup will get underway on October 17 in UAE, two days after the IPL 14 final.
With the latest development, IPL franchises are sweating over the availability of overseas cricketers.
Meanwhile, some franchise officials are set to visit UAE after July 6 in order to finalise the logistics for the cash-rich tournament.
"We are looking at heading to the UAE post-July 6 once we get the go-ahead from the BCCI and the government so that we can seal the logistical deals. Unlike last year, bulk bookings won't be as easy this year as you will have people travelling into the country and that makes the work around bio-bubbles all the more critical," an official of one of the franchises told ANI.
Notably, organisers of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have tweaked their schedule to avoid a clash with the second leg of IPL 2021 after being requested by the BCCI.
The CPL 2021 was slated to begin from August 28 and conclude on September 19, but it will be now played between August 26 and September 15.
The UAE-leg of IPL will reportedly kick-off from September 19 with the final to be played on October 15.
(With ANI inputs)
