T20 World Cup: Sourav Ganguly says, ’17th October start date still not confirmed’

The T20 World Cup will be shifted from India to the UAE owing to the health safety concerns. India has been struggling to combat the threat posed by COVID-19, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly told PTI on Monday. This marks the ending of speculation surrounding the mega-event.

“We have officially intimated the ICC that the T20 World Cup can be shifted to the United Arab Emirates. The details are being chalked out,” Ganguly said. “The decision was taken keeping health safety concerns of all stakeholders in mind,” he added.

Final date of T20 World Cup

When asked if October 17 was finalised as the start date of the tournament, Ganguly said: “We will be able to finalise itinerary details in some days. October 17 start hasn’t yet been finalised.”

Even an ICC spokesperson confirmed the final schedule is yet to zeroed in.

Earlier, BCCI had considered hosting the ICC T20 World Cup in India and host IPL 2021 Phase 2 in the UAE. It was also being speculated that the tournament could be played either in Oman or in UAE. However, the COVID-19 situation and the tussle with ICC over tax exemption for the event forced BCCI to move the event.

“Due to the COVID-19 situation in our country, we may shift the tournament to UAE. We are monitoring the situation closely, the health and safety of players are paramount we will take a final call soon,” Jay Shah told ANI on Saturday.

However, as clarified by the ICC earlier, BCCI would retain the hosting rights of the tournament even if it is moved out of India.

Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt has already confirmed that CWI, the BCCI, and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) are engaged in talks for a tweaked CPL schedule to accommodate the second phase of the IPL. The CPL, which was originally scheduled to commence on August 28, will now be played in St Kitts and Nevis between August 26 and September 15.