The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that the remainder of this year’s Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket competition will take place in the United Arab Emirates in September and October.
The tournament was postponed in early May after a number of players tested positive for COVID-19, with 31 matches still outstanding in this year’s edition.
The IPL said in a statement that the decision had been taken to move the tournament to the UAE due to the monsoon season in India in September and October.
The anticipated new dates for the completion of the IPL are September 19 to October 20 – but that would clash with the Twenty20 Caribbean Premier League and would additionally leave just one week until the start of the Twenty20 World Cup.
Last month, a group of English counties reportedly made an offer to host the remainder of the IPL.
The season got underway as scheduled on April 9 in Chennai and was due to conclude at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on May 30.
The BCCI has also asked the International Cricket Council for more time to decide on whether India can host the T20 World Cup in October and November. Reports on Tuesday suggested that the BCCI had been given until June 28 to confirm whether it can stage the event.
The T20 World Cup was originally due to take place in Australia late last year, only for preparations to be scuppered due to COVID-19.
Image: Gujarat Cricket Association
