The BCCI has announced that it will conduct the remainder of the 2021 IPL in September and October this year in the UAE. The decision was taken at a special general body meeting held virtually on Saturday. The BCCI also decided to "seek an extension" from the ICC "to take an appropriate call" on hosting the men's T20 World Cup, originally scheduled in India between mid-October and November 14.
In a media release issued on Saturday, the BCCI said the decision to shift the IPL, which was suspended early May at the halfway stage, to the UAE was owing to the monsoon season in India which usually stretches between June and early October.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced to complete the remaining matches of VIVO Indian Premier League 2021 season in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) considering the monsoon season in India in the months of September-October this year," the BCCI said.
At the time the IPL was suspended, there were still 31 matches, including the four playoffs, left to be played. The BCCI had decided to stall the IPL indefinitely because of a growing number of Covid-19 positive cases during the second leg of the tournament which was played in Delhi and Ahmedabad. As many as seven people across four teams - Chennai Super Kings (L Balaji, Mike Hussey and a member of service staff), Kolkata Knight Riders (Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier), Delhi Capitals (Amit Mishra) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (Wriddhiman Saha) - had tested positive around the time the IPL was called off. Two more Knight Riders players - India fast bowler Prasidh Krishna and New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert - tested positive after the IPL was suspended.
With India continuing to be in the middle of a second wave of Covid-19, there were strong doubts about India hosting the second half of the IPL. Upon returning to Australia, Hussey said that he had doubts even about the T20 World Cup being held in India.
This will be the second successive year the UAE will be hosting the IPL. In 2020 the BCCI had conducted the entire tournament split between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Those three venues are likely to play hosts once again after the BCCI finalises the dates for the IPL, which remains its primary challenge now that it has announced the September-October window.
More to follow...
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo
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