IPL 2021 as we all know has been shelved for the time being due to the increase in infections across the country. IPL in India during the middle of an enormous second wave was always going to be a challenge. The BCCI did their best but apparently it wasn’t enough. Quite a number of players across a few teams were infected with the virus. The BCCI had no choice but to postpone the 2nd half of the tournament. However, the BCCI seems to be intent on completing the IPL this year itself. The timing looks a bit dicey. What does the future hold for IPL 2021?
UAE first of the block
IPL 2021 will afterall be completed this year itself. Quite a few countries have expressed willingness to host the remaining games in their country. UAE which hosted the 2020 edition is at the forefront. If at all IPL 2021 will have to be staged again, UAE stands the best chance to host the event. They have had previous experience and their infection level is also low. More than that the perception of if it is UAE, it must be alright remains quite high in the minds of the international players.
England counties wants a share of the pie
Second in the line is certain English counties have expressed the desire to host the IPL in England. These counties were devastated last year because county championship wasn’t played which meant loss of gate revenue and TV revenue. IPL being such a huge tournament and with enough Indian expats living in the UK, they can easily fill all the stadiums, tickets sales will not be a problem. Most of these spectators would not have seen IPL from the stadium in India. A chance to watch the games from the stadium and that too in their own land will bring in spectators by the droves.
London’s mayor wants the IPL in England
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has already gone on record with his desire to host the IPL, not necessarily the current edition, in England.
“The IPL is a fantastic league but I’m desperate not just to see Kohli and others here when India come (to England) as they are this year but to see the likes of (MS) Dhoni, (Rohit) Sharma and (Jasprit) Bumrah come here on a regular basis,” Khan said.
So when the mayor of London wants IPL in England, he will surely get it. With the current edition being in limbo, there is every chance that the remaining half of the IPL will be completed in England this year.
Timeframe for IPL
BCCI is eyeing the September timeframe to complete the remaining set of games. This is just after the Indian tour of England and before the World T20. Most of the Indian players will anyway be in England. Having said that, the logistics will not be that easy.
IPL always had one criteria working for the tournament. It is usually staged during the months of April and May during which except for England, all other teams will not have any international match. The ECB have come around and have agreed for their players to participate in every IPL and be available right till the final if their team qualifies. However, the same cannot be said for the September period. Every team will be engaged during this period and it will be difficult for the respective boards to allow their players to participate.
English players will not be available
Ashley Giles, the ECB director has already stated that he expects the English players to be available to play for England. This makes perfect sense. The ECB allowed their IPL players to play the entire tournament eventhough it meant they will not be available for the New Zealand tests based on the understanding that they will be available for England for the rest of the year. This was a good bargain. So, the English players will do well to represent England rather than participate in any revamped IPL.
‘We do intend to look after our players but we’ve got a lot of high-profile cricket ahead of us this year, including a T20 World Cup and the Ashes, and we’re planning on the involvement of England players in England matches.’
Australia is also in the frame
In the meanwhile, Australia too have expressed willingness to host the IPL. It essentially means that the World T20 will be moved to Australia in the month of October. The IPL can be played in September. India will host the 2022 T20 World Cup. This is a reciprocal arrangement. This seems to be the least likeliest of all the options.
Other international players will probably be available
There is certainly question marks over the participation of the English players and so are the Bangladesh players. However, West Indies players who are anyway not playing for their country except Holder will be available. Australian season starts usually in November but there is not news about any Australian tours to any other country. New Zealand players are likely to be available because their season starts in November and usually they do not play that many games. The rest of the nations does not have much representation in IPL anyway.
If at all the event is held in September, the only stumbling block will be how will the BCCI or the franchise arrange for the support staff and the other players who are not part of the Indian team to travel? What about the bio bubble for them? Will the BCCI be able to come up with a foolproof plan for them? We will probably get the answers for these questions within the next one month because I do not think that the BCCI can take too long to take a decision. A whole host of activities needs to happen based on that decision.
The World T20
All of these brings us to one point of whether the World T20 must be held in India? My firm view on this regard is a gigantic NO. It must certainly be moved to another country. The country cannot afford one more embarrassment and negative publicity. It is better to move the world cup rightaway rather than wait for the tourney to start.
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