The BCCI is in a bind over two events: the IPL 2021 Phase 2 and the ICC T20 World Cup. The board, chaired 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, because the ICC must take over the venues for the World Cup by October 1, the IPL matches, which will be held in three stadiums in the UAE, are in jeopardy. To avoid the threat, the BCCI is in preliminary negotiations with Sri Lanka Cricket to explore whether World Cup matches may be held there.
The IPL 2021 Phase 2 is set to start between September 17 and September 19, with a possible final on October 10, while the ICC T20 World Cup is set to start on October 18. However, according to the rules, the ICC must take over the venues at least 15 days before to the competition. With the possibility of player protests and a likely third wave of COVID-19, India’s prospects of hosting the World Cup are all but nil. The standby location remains the United Arab Emirates.
However, therein lays the issue. The BCCI need time till October 10 to run the IPL 2021 Phase 2 successfully, which will conflict with the ICC’s obligations. While Oman was in the running to host the first round of qualification matches, the ICC would still require venues in the UAE. The BCCI is in talks with Sri Lanka Cricket to see whether it may host ICC T20 World Cup matches in order to rescue the IPL 2021. As a result, there will be no threat to the IPL, and the World Cup may be safely hosted, assuming the COVID-19 situation in the island nation improves.