BCCI to host the 2021 T20 World Cup at nine venues

The 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, scheduled for October-November later this year, is set to take place at nine venues, namely Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Dharamsala, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. The final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad- the world’s largest cricket stadium with a capacity in excess of one lakh.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had plans of keeping the number of venues to six, but after a number of state units expressed their desire to host the tournament, the board approached the ICC regarding the same. In the 2016 edition of the mega event, India had used seven venues. Mohali and Nagpur have been excluded this time while adding Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow.

BCCI has a ‘Plan B’ subject to the COVID-19 situation

The tournament taking place at nine venues means that teams would have to travel frequently, also involving bio-security bubbles. The ICC sees hosting the World Cup at lesser venues as cost-effective, reported by the New Indian Express. It has also been learned that the BCCI would give the ICC a ‘Plan B’ if the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t improve in India.

It involves keeping the number of venues not greater than four. The BCCI and ICC have a massive task at hand with 16 participating teams for the T20 World Cup. In the meantime, the Indian government has decided to give Pakistan cricketers visas for the mega event. Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, informed the same to the Apex Council.

“The visa issue of Pakistan cricket team has been sorted. However whether the fans can travel across the border to watch matches is still not clear,” an Apex Council member was quoted as saying. It means Babar Azam and Co may not have more trouble in playing in India later this year.

Earlier, Ehsan Mani, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, said that the board had asked a written assurance from the ICC that India will grant their players visas. India and Pakistan haven’t played in a bilateral series since 2012-13 and only play in tournaments, organised by the ICC and ACC.