The BCCI is in a bind over two events: the IPL 2021 Phase 2 and the ICC T20 World Cup. The board, led by Sourav Ganguly, has already confirmed the UAE as the IPL’s host country while requesting the International Cricket Council for extra time to make a decision on hosting the World Cup in India.
However, the ICC must take over the venues for the World Cup by October 1. So, the IPL matches which will be held in the UAE stadiums, are in jeopardy. To avoid the threat, the BCCI is in preliminary negotiations with Sri Lanka Cricket to see if World Cup matches could be held there.
The phase 2 will start around September 17, with a possible final on October 10. The T20 World Cup begins on October 18. With the anticipated arrival of the third wave of COVID-19, India’s chances of hosting the World Cup are off the table. Thus, the UAE remains a standby location. Although Oman was in the running to host the first round of qualification matches, the ICC would still require stadiums in the UAE.
If the World Cup is held in Sri Lanka, the BCCI will have to pay a large sum to the board in order to preserve the hosting rights. However, it would aid in the safe running of both competitions.
The SLC has already approached the BCCI, expressing interest in hosting the IPL 2021 Phase 2 matches, but the Indian board was not interested due to an increase in COVID cases in Sri Lanka. According to the source, the broadcasters may also support Sri Lanka’s bid to host the World Cup.
However, the BCCI must first notify the ICC of their plan to hold the event in India. The BCCI has until June 28 to make a decision, according to the ICC. The BCCI is keeping an eye on the situation in India and is anticipated to make a decision by the end of the month. Furthermore, the BCCI will have to alert the ICC about the tax difficulties in India. However, BCCI will maintain the hosting rights in either case.
