English Counties Keen on Hosting Remainder of IPL 2021: Report
The counties are hopeful that the games will be played to capacity crowds.
After IPL 2021 was halted abruptly due to COVID-19 hitting the two bio-secure bubbles in Ahmedabad and New Delhi, the BCCI has been looking for windows to complete the remainder of the tournament.
Counties in England namely, The MCC, Surrey, Warwickshire and Lancashire, who are based at Lord's, The Kia Oval (both London), Edgbaston (Birmingham) and Emirates Old Trafford (Manchester), are interested parties in hosting the second half of IPL 2021.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, they are part of a group that wrote to the England Cricket Board asking them to extend the support and proposal to the BCCI.
The report also adds that BCCI are yet to consider the England option.
The counties are hopeful that the games will be played to capacity crowds and hope that the numerous obstacles including quarantine processes can be ironed out.
The other obstacle is the schedule with the England-India Test series ending in Manchester on 14 September, and then England are expected in Pakistan for T20Is less than a month later. While most of the other teams have international commitments around the same time, with potential quarantine time to be factored in - though those final weeks in September remain less busy than most.
The counties hope, however, that with some flexibility a window can be found to accommodate the tournament in England.
BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly, on 6 May, indicated that they have time on hand to decide about the IPL’s future, stating, "It’s too early to say."
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