IPL 2021 final, which was earlier expected to take place on October 15, is likely to be preponed to give Indian players enough resting time before the T20 World Cup 2021 kicks off.
The fourteenth edition of the Indian Premier League has been cleared to go ahead in the September-October window. The tournament was suspended midway through the season on May 4 due to the Covid-19 outbreak inside the bio-bubble. With the pandemic situation not getting any better, the BCCI has moved the remainder of the IPL 2021 to the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier reports suggested that the competition will resume from September 19 and will conclude with the final on October 10. However, the latest developments have hinted that the BCCI is looking to wrap up the tournament one week earlier to provide Indian players resting time before the ICC T20 World Cup begins.
The T20 WC is expected to kick off on October 17 with qualifiers and the main leg to get underway from October 24. According to a recent report in Inside Sport, the BCCI is quite serious about concluding the IPL by October 10 so that Indian players can get a good two-week rest before the main leg of the T20 WC. Indian players will be joining the T20 WC bio-bubble soon after the IPL.
Indian men’s cricket team has a packed schedule going ahead. India’s secondary team is on a tour to Sri Lanka for a white-ball series while the big guys have a five-match Test series lined up against England in August and September, after which they will head to the UAE to participate in the Premier League. With no breathing space in two months, Indian players will be pleased with a two-week break before the World Cup.
The BCCI also has to keep an eye on the 2022 edition of the IPL. The tournament will be expanded with two new franchises set to be introduced, making it a 10-team event. A mega auction will happen, where all the teams will go under revamp.
We’re planning to have two franchises in next year’s IPL, but we have to see the market and also assess the situation prevailing in the country. We can’t guarantee a timeline because there are a lot of things to consider.
said BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal as per Inside Sport.
