IPL 2021 VENUES: CHENNAI, KOLKATA, AHMEDABAD, BANGALORE AND DELHI AS IPL VENUES BCCI SHORTLISTS

CHENNAI, KOLKATA, AHMEDABAD, BANGALORE AND DELHI AS IPL VENUES BCCI SHORTLISTS

If nothing goes wrong, the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League will take place in India, with the BCCI shortlisting a few cities to host the mega-event. For the time being, the Indian Board has shortlisted 5 IPL 2021 cities, namely Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Delhi. 

As an IPL city for the 14th edition, Mumbai is still unclear because of pending permits from the local state government.

IPL 2021: The IPL Governing Council is scheduled to meet before the 8th of March.

According to credible sources, an IPL Governing Council (IPL GC) meeting will be held in the first week of March to discuss all outstanding issues about IPL 2021. 

1st Week of March IPL: Together with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah, IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel will have a challenge at hand as they all sit down to make a critical decision on where IPL 2021 will take place.

For the time being, the BCCI has shortlisted five venues, suggesting that the IPL 2021 will be held in India. If the cricketing extravaganza should be conducted in India or in the UAE, the BCCI is in a catch-22 situation.

With the rise in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the country, calls to move the league to the UAE for a consecutive year have been given.

Arun Dhumal, the Treasurer of the BCCI, confirmed that the Indian cricket board is still monitoring the situation. He told last week that, "We are still in a dicey situation due to the rise in COVID-19 incidents."

Timetable and fixtures for IPL 2021?

The IPL 2021 broadcasters have demanded that BCCI finalise the full schedule and fixtures at least one month ahead of time. 

According to the broadcaster, they must make appropriate preparations for IPL 2021, so final schedules must be requested at least 30 days before the first bowl of the tournament.

“It will take at least a month for the broadcaster to plan for the execution and sell inventory. As a consequence, a decision must be made soon,” a knowledgeable source said.

Dates of the IPL 2021: When is the IPL 2021 going to begin?

The Indian cricket board is yet to formally announce the dates for the 14th edition, although it is speculated that IPL 2021 will commence on April 11. 

According to Dhumal, the BCCI will make the final decision after the Test series between India and England concludes on March 8.

"We will finalise the dates after the test series India vs England, we don't have definite answers at the moment," Dhumal said.