BCCI to retain the hosting rights even if the 2021 T20 World Cup moves to UAE

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in the sporting arena. While the T20 World Cup that was slated to be held in Australia in 2020 was postponed, there have been several prominent cricketing experts who have opined that the 2021 T20 World Cup should not be held in India due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The 2021 T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in India in the months of October and November this year. And, the backup venue that has been decided is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in case the T20 World Cup cannot be held in India.

And now, the General Manager of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Dhiraj Malhotra has stated that it is too early to comment on the situation. Adding that the contingency plan in place is for the BCCI to hold the tournament in the UAE, he said that the hosting rights will still stay only with the BCCI.

“It’s too early to say what will happen. But the contingency plan is that it would go to UAE with the hosting rights staying with BCCI,” said Dhiraj Malhotra, who is also the tournament director of the T20 World Cup.

India might want to host T20 World Cup without crowds

However, the BCCI would want to host the prestigious T20 World Cup without any crowds in India itself, like how they have hosted the 14th edition of the IPL amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. However, due to the travel restrictions that several countries have imposed, it might still be a challenge.

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is currently underway in the country, in the absence of crowds. The tournament that started on 9th April 2021 will go on till 30th May 2021. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are currently the table toppers, followed by Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

While Shikhar Dhawan is the current holder of the Orange Cap and has amassed 311 runs in 7 innings, Harshal Patel is the owner of the Purple Cap and has scalped 17 wickets in the tournament thus far in the 2021 edition of the IPL.