IPL 2021 Scheduling, T20 World Cup Hosting Rights: Key Issues That Could Be Discussed During BCCI SGM

A whole host of issues are set to be discussed during the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Special General Meeting (SGM), which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 29th.

Apart from discussions on the scheduling of the second phase of IPL 2021, the SGM could take some important decisions regarding the hosting right of the ICC T20 World Cup.

Here’s a look at some of the burning issues that the BCCI could discuss during its Special General Meeting-

IPL 2021 2.0 Schedule

The second phase of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League will take place in the United Arab Emirates from mid-September.

But, with the India-England series ending on September 14, the BCCI will have to come up with fresh dates to accommodate the Indian players. Also, the board will have to ensure that they schedule the remaining 31 games in such a manner that there is at least an 8-10 day gap before the T20 World Cup.

Also, the Caribbean Premier League will be underway at the same time and so the West Indies and South African players will be busy, which means that players could be unavailable for a substantial period of time due to the date clash and strict quarantine rules in the UAE. Special flights will have to be arranged from St.Kitts and Nevis Patriots to fetch the players and support staff.

Scheduling Bilateral series

With the IPL set to take place in September, the previously scheduled white-ball series featuring India against South Africa and New Zealand will get jeopardized. The BCCI will have to find a way of rescheduling them after the T20 World Cup.

T20 World Cup 2021

A) Hosting Rights

India was awarded the hosting rights for the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup after the quadrennial event that was supposed to take place in Australia in October 2020 got postponed due to the pandemic.

The BCCI had even announced nine potential venues to host the event but with the second wave of Covid wreaking havoc in the country and the IPL getting suspended midway through the season due to multiple cases in the bio-bubble, the tournament may well be shifted to the UAE.

The BCCI is, however, reluctant to give up the hosting rights as of now as it waits for the situation in the country to improve. The governing body will have to come up with a plan to convince the ICC.

B) Logistical issues

Apart from scheduling issues, the BCCI could face several logistical issues if the IPL takes place in the UAE and T20 World Cup in India. To be able to arrange chartered flights for overseas players coming from CPL, IPL, and then to India could turn out to be a logistical nightmare.

Apart from this, inter-city travel in the country could be a major problem during that period, not to forget the task to vaccinate overseas players.

Domestic Cricket

It is fair to say that domestic cricketers have suffered the most during the pandemic. A plethora of domestic players are solely dependent on the match fees earned by playing various competitions like Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, etc, and while compensation packages were announced last year, neither they nor the 2019-20 fees have been credited to the players’ accounts.

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