BCCI Considering September-October Window To Complete Remainder Of IPL 2021 In UAE: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is eyeing the September-October window to conduct the remaining 31 matches of the IPL 2021, which was suspended earlier in May following a covid-19 outbreak in players and staff, in the UAE.

This window for the BCCI comes in between the conclusion of India’s Test series with England on September 14 and the commencement of the T20 World Cup by mid-October.

According to a report, the board is mulling over to host the remainder of the season in UAE in this window; with the T20 World Cup also likely to be shifted to the UAE, this option has emerged as possible for the BCCI. The board is expected to finalize this in its upcoming Special General Meeting (SGM) on May 29.

BCCI asks ECB to reduce the gap between 2nd and 3rd Test

It has also been reported that the board has asked the ECB to reduce the gap between the 2nd Test that concludes on August 16 and the 3rd Test starting on August 25 to have more space for the IPL.

“If that gap can be reduced to four, it will allow BCCI five extra days to make use of. If we can have those extra days eked out from India-England schedule, then it adds to the window,” the Times of India quoted a source as saying.

“If not (able to reduce the gap) then within these 30 days, a full day will have to be set aside for the Indian team and the English cricketers to travel from the UK to the UAE, five days will have to be set aside for the knockouts later.

That will leave the BCCI with 24 days to conclude 27 matches. This window has four weekends available, which means a total of eight Saturdays and Sundays for double-headers, that can accommodate 16 matches. That will leave the BCCI with 11 matches to be held in 19 days. That’s a week extra,” the source added.

Also Read: I Feel IPL 2021 Would Have Been Better Off In UAE, Says Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Wriddhiman Saha