IPL 2021 phase 2, which the BCCI were earlier planning to finish on October 10, is likely to be held till October 18.
The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League is set to resume in a short window in September and October. The tournament, which was postponed indefinitely after 29 matches due to the Covid-19 outbreak inside the bio bubble, has been moved to the UAE. The board is yet to finalise the schedule for the remaining 31 matches.
There were multiple reports of the BCCI planning to organise the second phase in England. On May 29, in the Special General Meeting headed by the Board President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah, the UAE was finalised as the venue for IPL 2021.
Earlier, the BCCI was looking for a 3-week window from September 18 to October 10. However, according to Jagran, the BCCI is now considering extending IPL 2021 till October 18. The decision is being taken to reduce the number of double-headers to protect players from extreme UAE heat in afternoon games. The BCCI officials are discussing the matter with the Emirates Cricket Board. If the plan comes to fruition, the number of double-headers could be reduced from eight.
“We will get an extended window of 8 days and we will be able to reduce the double-headers. It’s very hot in UAE and the cricketers could suffer due to this. So, the board is trying to keep less afternoon matches. I
f the final is played on October 18, 8 double-headers matches will be played less. We are in talks regarding this with the Chairman of ECB and we are hopeful that our proposal will be accepted,”
an official disclosed.
Meanwhile, the T20 World Cup is expected to begin on October 18 and finish on November 15. The BCCI tried everything to keep the rights to host the event in India, but the Covid-19 situation in India has made the task impossible. It is learnt that the BCCI have conveyed to ICC internally to go ahead with the preparations to hold the T20 WC in the UAE and Oman.
