As was expected, the Indian Premier League is all set to seize upon the official postponement of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The thirteenth edition of the tournament is all but confirmed to be held in the United Arab Emirates from September.
IPL chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed to multiple outlets on Tuesday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India was seeking government permission to finally stage the event after multiple hold-ups because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The board is confident it can assemble stars from around the world to line up for the eight IPL teams from late September to early November. The UAE would be hosting the IPL for the second time in six years, after IPL 2014 was partially held there due to elections in India.
“It will be held in the UAE but first the board will seek permission from the Indian government to stage it there,” Patel had told AFP.
He added that the exact dates would be decided by the IPL’s governing council next week. Media reports have predicted the IPL would run from September 26 to November 7.
Patel would not say whether the games would be played behind closed doors. A final decision would rest with the UAE and Indian authorities.
The BCCI had to wait until the International Cricket Council formally postponed the World Cup on Monday before announcing its new plan. The World Cup was to be held in Australia from October, ahead of a second tournament in India in 2021 to get the World Cup onto a new calendar cycle.
Under the new arrangements, either Australia or India will host the next T20 World Cup in October-November 2021, then the other nation will hold it in 2022.
India has long been pressing for a decision, however, so that it can get the IPL back on track.
The IPL has been held outside India twice before when it clashed with national elections. South Africa hosted the 2009 event and part of it was held in the UAE in 2014.
The 13th IPL should have started on March 29 but it has been repeatedly postponed because of a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. With the pandemic not expected to peak in India for several weeks, a tournament in India is considered too risky.
Of course, the development was met with a wide range of reactions on Twitter, with MS Dhoni’s return to action and Virat Kohli’s wait with RCB among the prominent topics of discussion:
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