IPL 2021: 3 Possible windows BCCI can target to resume the tournament

3. Organise IPL in UAE just before T20 World Cup in October

BCCI can realistically think about this window. India’s tour of England is set to end on September 14 where both teams will face each other in five-match Test series. The WTC Final between India and New Zealand will end on June 22. Most probably, team India won’t be returning home as the Test series against England will start on August 4.

The Indian board can consult with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and prepone the Test series to maybe mid-June. India, in that case, will still get around three weeks of time to prepare for the series with intra-squad warm-up matches. Also, the Test series can end by the third week of August.

This will give a big window for the BCCI to organise the rest of the IPL as there is not much cricket to be played among international teams from August until the T20 World Cup which is likely to commence in mid-October. After what happened in the IPL bubbles, the ICC event might not be played in India and could get shifted to the UAE.

Similarly, BCCI can stage the rest of the IPL to the UAE and finish it off around a couple of weeks before the T20 World Cup so that all the players can shift from one bubble to another for the marquee event. With UAE having the experience of organising tournament under stringent measures, this can be done.

But again, like other options, this will also need a lot of approvals and most importantly, BCCI will have to co-ordinate with the ECB to prepone the Test series between India and England.