The 2021 ICC World T20 could be played in the UAE and Oman with the BCCI apparently internally informing the ICC due to the coronavirus situation in the country.
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The prospects of the 2021 ICC World T20 being played in India have all but extinguished. According to latest developments within the ICC, the World T20 could be played in Oman and the UAE. The reason for Oman hosting some of the games is because UAE will get time for IPL preparation. A PTI report has quoted a source who is in the know of the developments in the ICC. He has stated that the BCCI has communicated the matter internally.
“The BCCI, during the ICC board meeting, has formally asked for a four-week window to take a final call. But, internally, they have said that they would like to keep the hosting rights. They wouldn’t mind the tournament being held in UAE and Oman,” a senior board said.
The coronavirus pandemic in India has made it very tricky for the BCCI to assure the safe conduct of the ICC World T20. The bio-bubble lapse in the IPL 2021 has not made life easy in terms of travel. India’s caseload is still over 120,000.
The COVID-19 situation in India forced the BCCI to ask the ICC to delay their decision by one month. However, logistically, it was difficult for the ICC World T20 to be played in India. With the BCCI announcing the remainder of IPL 2021 will be played in the UAE, the prospects of the ICC World T20 being played in the Emirates also increased.
Playing both the IPL 2021 and the ICC World T20 in the UAE makes bio-bubble logistics slightly easier. Muscat has been zeroed in for the preliminary rounds of ICC World T20. This will allow the three UAE grounds to get sufficient time to freshen up after 31 IPL games.
The ICC source added that India could not guarantee whether the cases in the country would come down at the time of the World T20. “If you think about it practically, India is now reporting around 120,000 plus cases. This is close to one-third of what was being reported at the end of April and start of this month. But sitting on June 28, if you say “yes” to holding the World T20 in India, how can you predict the health situation in October if there is a third wave,” the source said.
