Picture Credit: BCCI
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been put into a doubtful situation once again after a sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in the country in last few days. Although BCCI were pretty confident of organizing the 14th edition of IPL in India, their plans have seriously taken a jolt due to worsening of the Coronavirus situation.
We are still in a dicey situation: Arun Dhumal
Reflecting on plans for IPL 2021, BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal admitted that they are still monitoring the situation and have not come up to a definite conclusion regarding the dates and venue yet. He said, “We are still in a dicey situation due to increase in COVID-19 cases. We will finalise the dates after India vs England Test series, currently we don’t have definite answers.”
As per reports, the broadcasters would also need at least a month’s time to make the preparations for the mega-tournament. There are a lot of arrangements that need to be done well in advance. Therefore, a decision on the dates and venue of IPL 2021 might be taken very soon.
IPL 2021 could happen in United Arab Emirates
As per earlier reports, the 14th edition of IPL was set to return to India. While Mumbai was expected to host the league stages, the play-offs were reported to take place in Ahmedabad. However, the recent rise in COVID-19 cases would have seriously hampered those plans.
BCCI is currently exploring all the possibilities for the successful execution of IPL 2021. However, BCCI have very good ties with the Emirates Cricket Board. Since UAE also successfully organized the IPL in 2020, it is expected that the Indian Premier League might take the same route once again.