Hyderabad Fully Capable Of Hosting IPL 2021 Matches As Per BCCI Protocols, Says Mohammed Azharuddin

Former India skipper and current president of Hyderabad Cricket Association, Mohammed Azharuddin on Sunday said that Hyderabad is capable of conducting the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year in a bio-secure bubble.

This came after reports saying that the BCCI has moved on from its initial plan of hosting the league matches of the upcoming IPL 2021 in Mumbai, which has four stadiums in the near vicinity and the playoffs in Ahmedabad and wants to host the entire tournament in 6 cities instead of in bio-safe protocols.

These cities are reported to be Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Delhi, though many were surprised that Hyderabad was overlooked in the cities which were shortlisted. Even Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) working president KT Rama Rao tweeted and urged the BCCI to rethink its choices of cities and give some matches to Hyderabad as well.

Rama Rao said there are a very low number of Covid-19 cases in the city and can follow all the protocols cited by the BCCI and government. Now his bid for IPL 2021 matches has gotten support from Hyderabad Cricket Association President Mohammed Azharuddin.

Hyderabad Is Absolutely Capable Of Handling And Conducting IPL: Mohammed Azharuddin

While the tournament is still some time away, franchises are also open to the idea of having the league in more than one city as that will help to stay flexible with an eye on the COVID-19 situation. Mohammed Azharuddin took to Twitter and said that Hyderabad is perfectly capable of conducting the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year in a bio-secure bubble.

“We are exploring the possibility of conducting the IPL at more venues than originally planned. The intent is to take it to more fans as the situation is moving towards normalcy. The feasibility of the bio-secure bubble and logistics will of course be crucial to determine the venues finally. It is a fluid situation and the health of the participants is our primary concern,” a BCCI official had said to ANI.

“I strongly support the appeal by @ktrtrs. Hyderabad is absolutely capable of handling and conducting @IPL as per @BCCI’s directives and preparing a bio-secure bubble,” Azharuddin tweeted.

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I strongly support the appeal by @ktrtrs. Hyderabad is absolutely capable in handling and conducting @IPL as per @BCCI’s directives and preparing a bio-secure bubble https://t.co/h3COGQnRwp

— Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks) February 28, 2021