UAE has been kept on standby as a backup venue for ICC T20I World Cup 2021 if the event is not conducted in India due to the rising Covid-19 cases. BCCI is also thinking about conducting the event in caravan format like the current edition of IPL.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is set to be held in India later this year, but the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in India has put BCCI’s plan of conducting the event in jeopardy. However, ICC always keeps a backup venue when it comes to organising marquee tournaments.
The ICC team of officials, which was set to visit India for a recce during the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League, cancelled its visit due to the disastrous COVID-19 situation in India, which isn’t a great signal for BCCI.
For now, the ICC is keeping a close eye on the situation in India. According to reports, the ICC hasn’t yet taken a final decision on the venue since the situation in India is expected to get better and the World Cup is still more than five months away.
BCCI is conducting IPL 2021 while the country is battling a monumental rise in COVID-19 positive cases. More than three lakh cases have been reported every day for almost a week now, with death toll skyrocketing each day.
Many international players like Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson, and Adam Zampa have already left the IPL midway to return to their home country. Moreover, Josh Philippe and Josh Hazlewood also decided not to be a part of the 14th edition of the IPL before the tournament started.
ICC T20 World Cup was expected to be held in Australia in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed. Later, India was selected to host the ICC event. The tournament is set to take place in India during October-November later this year, given that current concerns over the COVID-19 situation are resolved.
