The BCCI may have shortlisted nine venues for the T20 World Cup, but India is far from being confirmed as the venue for the marquee event, scheduled to be played in October-November.
The BCCI’s apex council earlier this week shortlisted Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Dharamshala, Lucknow, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Mumbai to stage the event, with Ahmedabad proposed to host the final.
However, with a surge in COVID-19 cases, The Hindu understands that at least a couple of full members of the ICC have expressed reservations about travelling to India.
In order to ensure the safety for all the travelling contingents, an ICC events and logistics team is scheduled to travel to India next week to conduct recce at a few venues. However, the recent wave in COVID-19 cases may force postponement of the tour.
According to a BCCI insider, even if the ICC team defers its plan, it shouldn’t be construed as “a cause for concern” since “the BCCI hopes that the ICC annual conference in June will erase all the doubts”.
A couple of member boards are in favour of the event being awarded to Australia, which is scheduled to stage the next year’s T20 World Cup.