Highlights:
- IPL 2021 to resume from 19th September
- The remainder of Indian Premier League 2021 will now be hosted in the United Aram Emirates (UAE)
- IPL 2021 was indefinitely postponed due to several players and staff testing positive for COVID-19
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has zeroed in on the date for the resumption of the 14th edition of the cash-rich tournament Indian Premier League which will now be held in the United Aram Emirates (UAE).
The first game, on resumption, will be played on the 19th of September while the final will be hosted on the 15th of October – the day India will be celebrating Dussehra this year.
Speaking to ANI, a BCCI official in the know of developments of the recent meetings between the BCCI and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) said the discussions went well and the Indian board is confident that the remainder of the IPL games will be held successfully in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
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The BCCI official said, “The discussions went really well and with ECB already giving us the oral nod to host the event ahead of the BCCI SGM, it was about closing the deal over the last week.
“The first game after the season resumes will be held on September 19 while we will have the final on October 15.
“The BCCI was always keen on a 25-day window to finish the remaining matches”.
When asked about the situation with regards to the availability of the overseas players, the official said talks are on and the Indian board expects positive outcomes.
The BCCI official said, “The discussions have started and we are keeping fingers crossed that the foreign players will be mostly available.
“If a couple of them do not manage to turn up, we shall then decide on the future course of action. But keeping fingers crossed for now and hoping to have an action-packed end to the 14th edition in UAE.”
As a matter of fact, the franchises of IPL are also confident that the Indian Cricket Board will engage in positive discussions with the foreign boards and make players available for the remaining games.
The franchise official said, “What we were made aware after the BCCI SGM is that the board will be speaking to the foreign boards and check on the availability of the foreign cricketers.
“We are confident that the BCCI will find the best possible solution and honestly it is a matter of the BCCI officials speaking to the respective board officials, so we should wait to hear from the board on this.
“Yes, if we do end up missing some of the foreign stars, that is an area which would need some attention when it comes to picking replacements as the foreign players are also integral to the teams.
“Team balance can go for a toss, so keeping fingers crossed on that one”.