UAE to host remaining 31 matches of IPL 2021, confirms BCCI

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be resuming in the United Arab Emirates later this year. The BCCI Vice-President Rajiv Shukla confirmed the news on Saturday soon after the Special General Meeting (SGM) of the board. This is not a surprise given the current situation in India and more so, there will reluctance among overseas players after what transpired earlier this month during the tournament.

The competition had to be postponed indefinitely due to the COVID cases inside the bio-secure bubble. Some of the foreign players also contracted the virus while Australian cricketers had to stay in Maldives with their government banning all entries from India including their own citizens.

However, BCCI, in its statement, has stated that the decision to play the IPL 2021 in the UAE has been taken keeping in mind the monsoon season in India during that period. “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 decision was taken at a Special General Meeting (SGM) held virtually, where members unanimously agreed to resume IPL,” the statement read.

BCCI seeks time from ICC to host T20 World Cup in India

Meanwhile, the board has sought time from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to explore all the possibilities to host the upcoming T20 World Cup in India. After COVID cases disrupted the IPL, it has been more or less confirmed that the ICC global event will be played in UAE which has been kept as a back-up option.

However, in the SGM, the members decided to request more time from the ICC before taking a final call on moving the tournament. “The BCCI SGM further authorised the Office Bearers to seek an extension of time from the ICC to take an appropriate call on the hosting of ICC T20 World Cup 2021,” the statement further read.