IPL 2021: Governing Council Yet To Meet And Announce The Dates And Venues

With the 14th edition of IPL set to likely begin from April, the governing councils are yet to meet and announce its dates. The concerned officials or stakeholders have revealed that they will make the final decision at the IPL governing council meeting soon. With franchises, including Chennai Super Kings, set to begin preparations for IPL 2021, the dates and the venues in India for staging the marquee T20 league are yet to be finalized.

Although the concerned officials have booked the window for IPL 2021 after deciding that India will host the competition, BCCI faces trouble reserving the venues. With the domestic tournaments and the ongoing England series transpiring successfully, the Indian cricket board had earmarked Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad to host the season.

However,, the rising COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, where the state government has slapped restrictions, including no crowds during matches, has forced IPL to revisit their plans. Hence, the stakeholders have shortlisted Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad as the potential cities to stage IPL 2021.

West Bengal and Tamil Nadu polls also the reason behind the delay for announcing dates and venues for IPL 2021:

With the polls set to take place on West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, amongst other states, IPL’s governing council has waited before announcing the dates since it might clash with the tournament. Tamil Nadu elections will occur on the 7th of April in multiple phases, while the one in West Bengal is likely to take place on the 29th, with results set to declare on the 4th of May. ESPN Cricinfo reported that Kolkata, which is the home ground of Kolkata Knight Riders, could host fixtures after the election results.

Also Read: IPL 2021: 5 Reasons Why Delhi Capitals (DC) Can Win The Title This Year