Xtra Time Web Desk: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to shift the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup to UAE from India. Top board officials sense that none of the participating teams would be “comfortable” coming here because “a third wave” of COVID-19 cases is expected at the time of the event. While the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to take a final decision but it is understood that even the Indian cricket board is circumspect about holding the 16-team tournament in October-November after the ongoing IPL had to be suspended because of multiple COVID-19 cases inside the bio-bubble.
The BCCI officials have had very recent discussions with some of the top decision-makers in the central government and a shift to the UAE has been more or less agreed upon. The dates of the marquee competition, which was planned across nine venues, have not yet been finalised.
There is an ICC meeting in June where a final decision will be taken but retaining the tournament in India after cancellation of IPL seems far-fetched at this point.
“The suspension of IPL within four weeks is an indicator that it’s not really safe to host a global event of that magnitude at a time when the country is fighting its worst health crisis in the last 70 years,” a senior BCCI source privy to development said on conditions of anonymity.
One of the biggest reasons for conducting the tournament in the UAE is that it can be kept to three grounds — Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi and there is no air travel.