T20 World Cup to be shifted to UAE: BCCI

Dubai : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah on Saturday said that they are discussing on shifting the T20 World Cup to UAE; final decision on this will be taken soon.

“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,” he told ANI.

Meanwhile, due to the same reason, the remaining season of IPL 14 has also been shifted to the UAE. It will resume from September 19 and the final game will be played on October 15.

This would also mean that it is just before the T20 World Cup. And that has seen franchises sweating over whether foreign players would be made available to them.

Speaking to ANI, an official of one of the franchises said that heading to the UAE sounds more reasonable as the situation is way different from the 2020 edition. Plus traveling will also be a major concern in terms of border restrictions.

“We are looking at heading to the UAE post-July 6 once we get the go-ahead from the BCCI and the government so that we can seal the logistical deals. Unlike last year, bulk bookings won’t be as easy this year as you will have people travelling into the country and that makes the work around bio-bubbles all the more critical,” the official explained.