The remainder of IPL 2021 likely to resume in September-October in UAE

According to a Cricbuzz report, the BCCI is planning to resume the remainder of IPL 2021 in the September-October window and the tournament could be held in the UAE once again. The BCCI might officially announce the decision following the Special General Meeting of the board on May 29.

The 2021 season of the Indian Premier League had to be postponed after the second wave of COVID-19 in India took a giant toll. The breach of bio-bubbles in several teams and with players testing positive left the BCCI with no choice but to call off the rest of the tournament and make sure that the players reached their homes safely.

The remainder of the season is expected to begin around September 16-20 and end on October 9-10. The window breathes down the neck of the World T20 which is set to commence on October 18. However, it is believed that the Emirates Cricket Board, which will be the host of the upcoming T20 World Cup, has offered complete support and backing to the BCCI. They have agreed to make schedules flexible in accordance with the need to host IPL in the country.

The United Arab Emirates was also the venue for IPL 2020. The first wave of the coronavirus and lockdown protocols in many states in India made hosting the IPL virtually impossible and the BCCI ended up conducting a smooth and stress-free tournament in UAE.

However, the scheduling can prove to be tricky as ICC requires the grounds to be taken over ten days before the beginning of the T20 World Cup in order to prepare it for branding and commercial activities. In order to resolve this, the BCCI plans on hosting the final leg of the tournament at one particular venue and hand the rest of the two grounds to the ICC.

The board might also be charting multiple double-headers in order to accommodate the schedule and given the heat in UAE, they are looking at a schedule towards the end of September and the beginning of October.

The Australian players might miss the remainder of the IPL. They have a packed international schedule and the Australians faced a tough time travelling back home when the IPL got suspended. Several of them were stranded in the Maldives due to the lockdown in Australia.