The Board of Control for Cricket in India has finally decided to resume the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League in the UAE in its ongoing Special General Meeting (SGM). The BCCI has taken the decision of moving the tournament out of India citing the monsoon season in the months of September and October.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced to complete the remaining matches of VIVO Indian Premier League 2021 season in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) considering the monsoon season in India in the months of September-October this year," BCCI said in its press release.
The venue of the IPL and the issue of hosting the ICC World T20 in India were the important agendas of the BCCI SGM and the board has decided to seek more time from the ICC on organising the global event scheduled towards the end of the year in the country.
"The BCCI SGM further authorised the Office Bearers to seek an extension of time from the ICC to take an appropriate call on the hosting of ICC T20 World Cup 2021," the release stated further.
Reportedly, the BCCI had also considered moving the IPL 2021 to England and accommodating it after the Test series between India and England. However, the SGM ultimately decided to lock UAE as the final destination of its cash cow that was abruptly postponed due to rising Covid-19 cases in multiple franchises.
The BCCI had estimated a loss of approximately Rs 2,500 crore in case they would fail to resume the remaining portion of the tournament and hence the BCCI was adamant about completing the tournament albeit at a different destination.
The last edition of the IPL too was played in the UAE in the month of September as the BCCI had to postpone the event in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent nationwide lockdown in India.