BCCI President Sourav Ganguly confirms UAE as T20 World Cup 2021 venue

New Delhi : BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Monday confirmed that the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 will be held in the United Arab Emirates due to the ongoing situation of coronavirus in India. The same information has been officially notified to the International Cricket Council (ICC). BCCI said it will not be possible to host the 16-team tournament in India due to the pandemic.

“We have officially intimated the ICC that the T20 World Cup can be shifted to the United Arab Emirates. The details are being chalked out,” BCCI president Sourav Ganguly told PTI.

Earlier, ICC had asked BCCI to confirm till June 28 whether they are in a position to hold the event in the country.

But the BCCI top brass said on Monday that even though the Board will have the hosting rights, the tournament will now be held across four cities – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Muscat – between October 17 and November 14.

“Due to the COVID-19 situation in our country, we may shift the tournament to UAE. We are monitoring the situation closely, the health and safety of players are paramount we will take a final call soon,” BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had earlier told ANI.