The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) will likely end the wait for lakhs of cricket fans across the country and release the schedule for the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Monday.
According to media reports, top officials of the BCCI will meet on Monday and will decide over the phase 2 schedule of the IPL 2021. Reports suggest that the BCCI will avoid doubleheaders looking at the extreme heat and humid conditions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The IPL 2021 was postponed in April after COVID-19 breached the bio-bubbles of several teams and infected several players. Later, the BCCI announced that the second half of the tournament will be held in the UAE just before the T20I world cup.
A BCCI official earlier had also said that phase 2 of the IPL 2021 will begin from September 19 while the finals will be held on October 15. Speaking to news agency PTI, the official said that the board will successfully host the tournament in the UAE’s Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
“September 15 to October 15 is the window. Initially, BCCI was thinking of having 10 double headers. But, in third and fourth week of September, having 10 afternoon matches can be physically exhausting for player in such short window,” the official told PTI.
“So if October 15, which is a Friday is zeroed in on, it’s basically start of weekend in India and in DUbai, it’s a holiday which will allow fans to come in and enjoy a high-profile game of cricket. It serves dual purpose. Also, the number of double headers could be reduced to five or six, instead of 10,” the official added.
Several foreign players unlikely to be part of phase 2 of IPL 2021
Meanwhile, several star foreign players, mainly from England, won’t take a part in the second half of the IPL 2021 due to COVID-19-induced restrictions imposed by their respective boards. Following is the list of foreign players who might miss the second half of the IPL 2021:
– Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders)
– Moeen Ali (Chennai Super Kings)
– Sam Curran (Chennai Super Kings)
– Chris Woakes (Delhi Capitals)
– Jos Butler (Rajasthan Royals)
– Mustafizur Rehman (Rajasthan Royals)
– Shakib Al-Hassan (Kolkata Knight Riders)
– Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders)
