The treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Arun Singh Dhumal has said that it is too early to discuss an offer from English counties to host the remainder of the IPL 2021 in England in the month of September this year.
Instead, he said, the BCCI is focused on ensuring perfect preparation to host another marquee event in the form of ICC World T20 scheduled to be played in the country later this year.
"We will explore all the options and see when it's feasible to play those matches and take a call at the right time. Their offer has not been discussed yet. It's too early. Right now, our immediate plan is to finalise the preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup in India later this year," Reuters quoted Arun Singh Dhumal as saying.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka too has thrown their hat in the ring with a proposal to host the unfinished portion of the tournament postponed ‘indefinitely’ in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases in biosecure bubbles of various franchises.
Yes, we can certainly provide a window to host the IPL in the month of September. We hear the UAE is their one option but Sri Lanka can not be ignored for all reasons. We are planning to host the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in July-August and the grounds and other infrastructure will be ready for the IPL in September", the chief of the managing committee of the SLC, Prof. Arjuna de Silva, told Deccan Chronicle from Colombo.
Notably, an early estimate by the BCCI suggests that it will incur a loss of a whopping Rs 2500 crore if the IPL 2021 does complete and hence the board will be eager to find alternative venues for its most financially rewarding tournament.