T20 World Cup 2021 can’t go ahead in India: Ian Chappell

The second wave of the coronavirus has hit India hard and the condition is terrifying, to say the least. There has been a horrific upsurge in the number of daily coronavirus cases in the country as India is reporting over three lakh positive cases. The grim situation in the country can also hurt the game of cricket.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is scheduled to host the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup in India in the month of October and November. BCCI has planned to host the tournament across nine cities and is also ready to conduct the entire event behind closed doors in a biosecure bubble if the coronavirus situation in the country doesn’t improve.

However, the former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell believes that India shouldn’t host the T20 World Cup due to the grim situation. Chappell believes that it is common sense to shift the tournament from the Asian nation. Notably, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has kept the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a backup venue for the mega event.

“It would be a matter of common sense not prevailing if it went ahead in India. Paul Keating once said to always back self-interest because you know it’s a goer, and you could substitute financial interest in this case.

“And that doesn’t apply just to cricket administrators, the money that’s been outlawed can be the only reason why the Olympics is still going ahead. But, logic would tell you that the T20 World Cup can’t go ahead in India,” Chappell said as quoted by Inside Sport.

BCCI to continue with IPL 2021 in India

BCCI is currently hosting the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) across six venues in a biosecure bubble in India. Though the event is running smoothly, many questions have been raised over the tournament as a handful of people believe that the league should be scrapped as the country’s condition is deteriorating day by day. A number of foreign players have also pulled out their names from the tournament and flew back to their home countries seeing the medical crisis in India. 

The players who have pulled out include the likes of Liam Livingston, Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson, and Adam Zampa. However, BCCI is keen on completing the IPL 2021 as they assured the players and the board will do everything possible to ensure that they reach their homes safe after the conclusion of the league.

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