World T20 set to be shifted to UAE and Oman, but BCCI to remain host
The marquee T20 World Cup in October and November is set to be shifted to the UAE and Oman, with the BCCI internally intimating the ICC to go ahead with its preparation due to a tricky COVID-19 situation in India.
While the UAE was always the first backup option, Oman’s capital Muscat has been added as the fourth venue, apart from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. “Yes, the BCCI, during the ICC board meeting, has formally asked for a fourweek window to take a final call. But internally, it has said that it would like to keep the hosting rights and wouldn’t mind the tournament being held in the UAE and Oman,” a senior board official, privy to ICC board developments, told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
The official said that Muscat has been zeroed in specifically for the preliminary round of the 16-team competition, which will also allow the three UAE venues to get sufficient time to freshen up after 31 IPL 2021 games.
“If the IPL 2021 finishes by October 10, the UAE leg of the World T20 can start in November. There will be three weeks for the pitches to be spruced up for the global event. The first week of the tournament can be hosted in Oman,” added the board official.
A majority of the ICC board members believe that India is trying to bide time as it takes stock of the situation, at a period where it is difficult to predict how things could pan out in October and November.
“If you think about it practically, India is reporting around 1,20,000 plus cases, which is close to one third of what was being reported earlier. But sitting on June 28, if you say ‘yes’ to holding the World T20 in India, how can you predict the health situation in October and November in case there is a third wave?” asked the official.
Another “elephant in the room” is how many overseas players would risk coming to India for the tournament if the situation doesn’t improve drastically.
“They would certainly come and play the IPL in the UAE and would be more than happy to play the T20 World Cup over there. But one can be rest assured that there would apprehensions with regards to health safety if it is hosted in India,” said the official.
If the IPL 2021 finishes by October 10, the UAE leg of the World T20 can start in November. There will be three weeks for the pitches to be spruced up for the global event A board official