IPL 2021: Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) was postponed due to COVID-19 in May after multiple players and coaching staff tested positive. The league will tentatively start during the third week of September in the UAE, a senior BCCI official told PTI.
As stated by the senior BCCI official, the board plans to conduct the remaining 31 matches of the league within three weeks. A total of 10 doubleheaders are expected to take place across a span of 20 days. The doubleheaders are usually conducted on weekends but will be slotted in on weekdays as well to ensure the league is completed within a short span of time.
“The BCCI has spoken to all the stakeholders and the likely start could be between September 18th to 20th. Since September 18 is a Saturday and 19 a Sunday, it is more likely that you would want to re-start it on a weekend date,” the official told PTI.
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“Similarly, October 9th or 10th will be the final as it’s a weekend. We are finalising the itinerary and there will be 10 double headers and seven evening matches along with four main games (two qualifiers, one eliminator and the final), which completes the list of 31 matches,” the official added.
Players to leave for Dubai after the final Test for IPL 2021
The Indian Team will complete their final Test against England on September 14. The following day, they will leave for the UAE in a chartered flight and will join a new bubble in Dubai. Players like Hanuma Vihari and Abhimanyu Easwaran, who are not a part of any IPL team will fly back to India.
On the other hand, the West Indies players will fly to Dubai after completing their Caribbean Premier League matches.
“The Indian team and the English players who will be available will fly in the same charter flight from Manchester to Dubai. Similarly, the West Indies players will also fly in after completing the Caribbean Premier League engagements. There will be a three-day quarantine for players arriving from the UK and the Caribbean,” the source said.
India’s white-ball series against South Africa cancelled
The source even confirmed that BCCI has decided to cancel India’s white-ball series against South Africa, which was going to be a part of their preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup. This decision was taken as the T20 World Cup starts 10 days after the completion of the IPL.
Instead, India might compensate by playing a few extra games when they tour South Africa early during 2022.
“The series can’t be held and in any case, there can’t be any better preparation for the T20 World Cup than playing a high-intensity tournament like IPL. Since the T20 World Cup will start within a week or 10 days after completion of the IPL, the SA series can only be held at a later date.
“There is a chance that India might play extra games when they tour South Africa early next year,” the source said.
India’s two-match test series against New Zealand at home also could be shifted depending upon the schedule of the T20 World Cup.
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