The remaining matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 14th edition of 2021 season is going to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE.)
The news of the IPL 2021 being held in the UAE was announced by the Board to Control Cricket in India (BCCI) on the 29th of May. The decision was taken after a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the BCCI, held virtually on Saturday, the 29th of May. All the members of the BCCI who attended the SGM meeting unanimously agreed to conduct the remaining matches in the UAE.
After the meeting, the BCCI officially released a statement which read, “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced to complete the remaining matches of VIVO Indian Premier League 2021 season in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) considering the monsoon season in India in the months of September-October this year. The decision was taken at a Special General Meeting (SGM) held virtually, where members unanimously agreed to resume IPL. The BCCI SGM further authorised the Office Bearers to seek an extension of time from the ICC to take an appropriate call on the hosting of ICC T20 World Cup 2021.”
In April after many players got infected with the Wuhan virus, the BCCI suspended the IPL 2021, with immediate effect. The decision to suspend the IPL matches was taken considering the safety of the IPL staff and players amid the second wave of the Wuhan virus. Now, the second phase of the IPL would be held in the UAE in October. Besides the Wuhan virus pandemic, monsoon season in India is also a major reason to conduct the IPL matches in the UAE.
The phase 2 of the IPL 2021 season is expected to be held in September-October with three venues, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
This would be the third time that the UAE would host the IPL. In 2020 also, due to the Wuhan virus also known as the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the IPL 13th edition was held in the UAE.
The 14th edition of the IPL started from the 9th of April and was scheduled to continue till the 30th of May.
A total of 8 IPL teams are a part of the IPL 2021. The 8 teams are Mumbai Indians (MI,) RCB, Chennai Super Kings (CSK,) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH,) Rajasthan Royals (RR,) Punjab Kings XI, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC.)
The final schedule of the 31 IPL matches are likely to be announced soon.
Stay tuned for further updates.
