The BCCI is hoping to use four or five venues to conduct the upcoming edition of the IPL in the summer this year. The fresh surge in COVID-19 cases in Mumbai means it is not feasible to host the tournament over there, as per initial plans.
Earlier, there were discussions that Mumbai, with four stadiums — Wankhede, Brabourne, DY Patil and Reliance Stadium, will be a good option to create a single bio-secure bubble and hold the eight-week long tournament.
However, the COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra has worsened with a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“There is still a month left for the IPL to start but obviously some decisions need to be taken. It will be risky to have a single city IPL in Mumbai if there is steady rise in cases that’s happening right now,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI.
“So cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata will be ready to host matches. Ahmedabad, in all likelihood, will host the play-off and final match of the IPL,” he said.
The IPL is expected to start in the second week of April.
Cricbuzz reported that the matches could take place in a cluster-caravan format, where teams will be in two groups and matches will be played at one venue as per the groups before teams are re-shuffled and move on to the next round.
There is a strong chance that Lucknow also could be in the mix as BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has been lobbying hard for the IPL games in the Uttar Pradesh centre but it is not in the initial shortlist yet.
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