No IPL in India this year

The unfinished edition of IPL though will not be held at home. After its bio-bubble was breached with positive cases reported in four teams, international players, many of whom have just reached home due to travel restrictions, are reportedly wary of playing in India so soon. “We are trying our best to complete IPL. We don’t know about the World Cup yet. But IPL could go to the UAE,” said another board official.

The narrow September-October window before the World Cup has been identified and talks are on with the Emirates Cricket Board on IPL. Will the pitches hold if the World Cup then is also moved to the UAE? “There is no alternative,” the official said. The UAE hosted the 2020 IPL late last year.

The only other option is for IPL to move to England. MCC, Surrey and Warwickshire have reportedly written to the English board (ECB) to host the league at Lord’s, The Oval (both London) and Edgbaston (Birmingham). But board officials say the window is too short for a UK IPL, especially because warm-up matches will have to be played before the World Cup.

IPL 14 was “postponed” at the halfway mark, after 29 matches, due to rising Covid-19 cases inside its bio-bubble.