The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League(IPL) was suspended for the time being mid-way due rise in Covid-19 cases. According to reports, the most celebrated league is set to make a comeback as BCCI is planning to host the remainder in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the previous edition was conducted smoothly in the window of September-October.
It is expected to restart around September 16-20 and finish on October 9-10. The timeline pits the IPL against the upcoming T20 WC which begins October 18, with both tournaments competing for time and space.
But the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), the host organizer of the ICC tournament, has given assurances to the BCCI and agreed to make flexible provisions for the IPL schedule.
IPL 2021 in UAE:
Given the time crux in a tight window of 22-23 days, the BCCI is understood to be planning for multiple double-headers. Given the hot conditions, they could be scheduled at the end of September and the beginning of October.
The availability of foreign players is another concern for the BCCI and the eight franchises. The West Indies players are expected to come (the CPL gets over on September 19) and so are the South Africans, but it gets sticky when it comes to players from Australia and England.
A Steve Smith, for instance, may not be too excited to turn up for a fee or INR 1 crore (he was bought for INR 2.2 crore by Delhi) while a Pat Cummins (bought INR 15.50 crore by KKR) or a Glenn Maxwell (bought INR 14.25 crore by RCB) may make themselves available because they could lose INR 7-8 crores each if they don’t play the second half of the league.
While the overseas player situation will be clearer in the months to come, the BCCI’s top priority will remain to stage the remaining of the league, failing which will mean huge financial losses.
The BCCI has called for a Special General Meeting (SGM) is likely to announce the plans regarding the remaining IPL planning on 29 May. BCCI’s plans depend on ICC T20 World Cup to be conducted in India. As the stadiums are to be handed over to the ICC at least 15 days prior to the start of any ICC tournament, there won’t be enough time for the IPL if it was to happen in the UAE.
