T20 World Cup to be held in UAE & Oman, confirms BCCI

On May 29, the BCCI held a special general body meeting in which members were told about the possibility of hosting the T20I World Cup outside of India.

The Indian Cricket board has declared that the T20I World Cup 2021 will be held in the UAE and Oman in October and November. The decision was made due to fears of the third wave of the pandemic, according to BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah in official communications to affiliated units.

“It was not an easy decision and we mulled over it for months, constantly keeping an eye on the COVID situation all along. However, with the second wave causing such devastation, the decision ultimately boiled down to the safety and well-being of the players and organisers. Although vaccination in the country is going on at breakneck speed, there are reports of a third wave and different variants, which we just cannot ignore,” Ganguly wrote in his email.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also spoke about the IPL. “On the brighter side, the BCCI remains the host for the ICC Men’s T20 WC and with its prior experience in hosting IPL in UAE, we can say with certainty that it will be hosted smoothly, and the BCCI will leave no stone unturned to make it an unprecedented success,” he added.

The board has yet to declare the schedule for the suspended Indian Premier League, but it will do so in collaboration with the International Cricket Council for the T20 World Cup.