The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has on Monday (June 28) opened up about the decision to shift the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from India to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying the decision was made after several rounds of internal discussions.

The BCCI Secretary further said the “safety of players and other stakeholders” due to the COVID-19 pandemic was the prime reason behind shifting the T20 World Cup 2021 from India to the UAE.

Shah said in a letter to all members of BCCI: “We wanted to apprise you that we have discussed this issue with ICC and have had several rounds of discussions internally.  After much deliberation, it has been decided that the safety of players and other stakeholders is of paramount importance, and keeping that in mind, it is best that we shift the ICC T20 World Cup to the United Arab Emirates.”

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He added, “It was not an easy decision and we mulled over it for months, constantly keeping an eye on the COVID situation all along. However, with the second wave causing such devastation, the decision ultimately boiled down to the safety and well-being of the players and organizers. There is nothing more that we could have wanted than to host this prestigious tournament in India, but it was not to be.”

Shah also confirmed that the BCCI remains the host for the T20 World Cup 2021 due to the board's “prior experience in hosting Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE”.

He signed off by saying, “On the brighter side, the BCCI remains the host for the ICC T20 World Cup, and with its prior experience in hosting IPL in UAE, we can say with certainty that it will be hosted smoothly, and the BCCI will leave no stone unturned to make it an unprecedented success.

We thank you for your continued support and we hope that you will give your unflinching support on this issue as well, as you have done in the past.”

(With ANI Inputs)