Last Update on: July 18th, 2020 at 06:19 pm
The chances of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) taking place in the UAE is getting brighter with each passing day. With the coronavirus situation in the country still alarming, the chances of the tournament taking place in India is highly unlikely.
The BCCI has previously stated that their first priority will be to host the tournament in India but they would not hesitate in conducting the tournament outside the country if the situation does not improve. With the cases increasing at an alarming rate, the IPL is all but confirmed to be held outside India.
UAE are the front-runner to host the thirteenth edition of the tournament which was scheduled to be played between March 29 and May 17. On Friday, the BCCI’s Apex Council discussed the possibility of the IPL being played in the UAE in its entirety.
Tentative window for IPL 2020:
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI has earmarked a tentative window between September 26 and November 7 for this year’s IPL. A final decision will be taken by the BCCI once the ICC announces the likely postponement of the men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled between October 18 and November 15 in Australia.
The ICC is likely to announce the decision after their meeting on July 20. The marquee event is likely to be postponed. The report further stated that the BCCI has written to the Indian government seeking permission for the tournament to be shifted to UAE and also get the necessary travel permission for the players and officials of the teams.
The BCCI is reportedly keen to end the tournament by November 7 in order to ensure Indian players get enough time to travel to Australia for the four-match Test series, set to begin in December.
Meanwhile, UAE have confirmed that they are all ready to host the competition and are waiting for the green light from the BCCI.
“We are ready to fully support the IPL if it chooses to come and play in the UAE. We will provide all the support concerning the protocol and government permission required to host the IPL. We are waiting for written confirmation from BCCI” Mubashshir Usmani, ECB secretary, told the news outlet.
IPL taking place in the UAE is not new. In 2014, the first 20 matches of the tournament were staged in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah because of the general elections in India.
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