BCCI Planning 30-Day Window For Completing IPL 2021 in UAE: Report

At its upcoming Special General Meeting on May 29, BCCI may finalise the window to complete the remainder of IPL 2021. According to a report, the board is looking to host the remaining 31 matches in UAE in the September-October window after the conclusion of India’s tour of England later this year.

India will start its UK tour from June 18 when it plays New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship. Afterwards, the tourists will take on England in a five-match Test series starting August 4.

The tour concludes on September 14 leaving BCCI a realistic window between September 15 to October 15.

While BCCI hasn’t placed a formal request with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) yet, it’s been speculated that it may ask the gap between the 2nd Test and the third Test between the two teams to be reduced from nine days to four which will give the Indian cricket board more time to work with.

“If that gap can be reduced to four, it will allow BCCI five extra days to make use of,” The Times of India quoted a source as saying. “If we can have those extra days eked out from India-England schedule, then it adds to the window.”

The BCCI is also planning to conduct the second phase with the involvement of overseas players and plans to fly out English cricketers from UK to UAE.

“If not (able to reduce the gap) then within these 30 days, a full day will have to be set aside for the Indian team and the English cricketers to travel from the UK to the UAE, five days will have to be set aside for the knockouts later. That will leave the BCCI with 24 days to conclude 27 matches. This window has four weekends available, which means a total of eight Saturdays and Sundays for double-headers, that can accommodate 16 matches. That will leave the BCCI with 11 matches to be held in 19 days. That’s a week extra,” TOI quoted sources as saying.

BCCI also thinks that the IPL will serve as a ‘perfect platform’ for the warm up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that India is expected to host from the second half of October 2021.

Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here

• bcci
• coronavirus
• covid-19
• england and wales cricket board
• ipl
• IPL 2021