NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL), suspended due to the coronavirus wave, will be finished in the United Arab Emirates in September and October, India’s national cricket board announced on Saturday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members also agreed to keep UAE as a backup venue for the T20 World Cup later this year, although the BCCI will request the ICC to wait for at least one more month before taking a final call.
“With the COVID-19 curve coming down in India, we are still optimistic about holding the T20 World Cup in the country in October-November. We will request the ICC to wait at least until the first week of July,” a BCCI official said.
The official further said, “As for the resumption of the IPL, as because September is still peak monsoon, the members have agreed to its shifting out to UAE (for the remaining 31 matches).”
The IPL, the world’s richest cricket tournament, was half-finished when it was halted on May 4 after a number of players and team officials caught coronavirus despite being in bio-secure bubbles.
The board has since been in tough negotiations with other countries and the International Cricket Council (ICC) on when to squeeze the remaining matches into the crowded international calendar.
The World Cup is also due to be held in India from October but it is also at risk from the pandemic. The tournament is due to be discussed by the ICC next Tuesday.
About 160,000 people have died in India since April 1 in a devastating wave that has seen hospitals overwhelmed. There are also fears that India could be hit by yet another surge in cases later this year.
