THE remaining matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was suspended earlier this month because of Covid-19 surge in India, will now be completed in the United Arab Emirates in September and October, the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) said on Saturday (29).
The BCCI said in a statement that they had asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) for more time to make a call on whether India would be able to host the Twenty20 World Cup in October and November.
The 14th edition of IPL was suspended with 31 matches left to play on May 4 after several players and backroom staff tested positive amid a devastating second wave of Covid-19 in India.
The UAE, the backup venue for the Twenty20 World Cup which hosted the entire IPL in 2020 because of the pandemic, was preferred "considering the monsoon season in India", the BCCI said.
BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly said this month that Covid-19 restrictions meant it was impossible to stage the remaining games in India.
The organisers would look to squeeze the matches into a window between the India Test tour of England and the Twenty20 World Cup, which is scheduled to start in mid-October.
The unanimous decision to resume the IPL was taken at a Special General Meeting of the BCCI, which also decided "to seek an extension of time from the ICC to take an appropriate call on the hosting of ICC T20 World Cup 2021".
