BCCI mulling over starting Indian T20 League from March 27 – Reports
Sourav Ganguly (Photo by Samir Jana/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
If reports are to be believed, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to start the upcoming season of the Indian T20 League (ITL) from March 27. The matches might be played in Mumbai and Pune to limit the travel given the concerning situation of COVID 19 in India. The tournament will most probably end in the last week of May.
The board had a meeting regarding the tournament and venues with the team owners. Most of the owners have agreed to stage the league in Mumbai. Meanwhile, few board members are keen to shift the matches to South Africa. The final decision will be taken on February 20, based on the COVID19 situation in Maharashtra.
Apart from this, the BCCI has confirmed that the mega auction, to be held in Bangalore on February 12 and 13, will not be shifted. During the meeting, it was considered that the cash-rich league can be played in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa if it becomes impossible to stage the 2022 season in India. The UAE was rejected on the grounds of the dew factor in the night games, which not just impacted the second leg of the previous year’s ITL but also the results of the 20-20 World Cup.
The teams during the ITL 2021 and the showpiece event had a great disadvantage if they had to bat first in the night games as the dew used to settle on the outfields just before the start of the second innings.
