The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that Dubai will host the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) final, as it confirmed how the remainder of this year’s tournament will be spread across the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In May, the BCCI confirmed that the remainder of the Twenty20 cricket competition would take place in the UAE in September and October. The tournament was postponed in early May after a number of players tested positive for COVID-19 amid a rise in cases in India, with 31 matches still outstanding in this year’s edition.
The BCCI said 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 remaining 31 matches will now be played in 27 days, with Dubai hosting 13 games, Sharjah 10 and Abu Dhabi eight.
The 14th edition of the IPL will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. The action will then shift to Abu Dhabi where the Kolkata Knight Riders will face Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sharjah will host its first game on September 24 when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings.
The final game of the league stage will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals on October 8 in Dubai. The 2021 IPL final will take place in Dubai on October 15.
The IPL finale will be followed by the T20 World Cup. The International Cricket Council (ICC) last month confirmed that this year’s T20 World Cup would be moved to the UAE and Oman amid the ongoing effects of the pandemic in India, which had originally been due to host the tournament.
The BCCI will remain the host of the event, which will now be held at the Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground. The tournament will be held from October 17 to November 14 as originally planned.
The ICC’s confirmation came after the BCCI had earlier stated its intention for the event to be relocated. As India continued to deal with the impact of the pandemic, the ICC had given the BCCI until the end of June to decide whether it would be capable of hosting the competition.
Image: BCCI
