BCCI President Sourav Ganguly explains why T20 World Cup was shifted to UAE

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has explained why the ICC T20 World Cup had to be shifted to the UAE. According to news agency PTI, the BCCI moved the ICC World T20 to the UAE keeping in mind the health and safety concerns of all stakeholders. Ganguly has said the BCCI will remain the host and will organise the marquee event in cooperation with the Emirates Cricket Board. 

Earlier, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla stated that the decision to relocate the IPL was made in light of the COVID-19 situation in India, as no one could predict what would happen in the next two to three months. He said the ICC had given the BCCI a deadline of today to decide whether India would be able to host the tournament, hence, the decision was made.

'Will inform the ICC today'

The decision to move the T20 World Cup to the UAE was taken at a meeting attended by Sourav Ganguly and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has explained why the ICC T20 World Cup had to be shifted to the UAE. Speaking to news agency ANI, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said, "We will inform the International Cricket Council today that we are shifting T20 World Cup to UAE. Dates will be decided by the ICC."

The T20 World Cup was originally scheduled to take place in Australia, but the ICC was forced to relocate the tournament because of the COVID-19 crisis. The event was supposed to be held in India later this year, but due to the ongoing pandemic and months of deliberation, the BCCI has finally decided to move it to the UAE. Earlier this month, the ICC had given the BCCI a month-long window to decide whether India could host the T20 World Cup amid the COVID-19 crisis. 

The T20 World Cup is expected to be held in the UAE after the conclusion of the remainder of the IPL 2021, which is scheduled to take place in the Gulf nation between September and October. The decision to move the remaining matches of IPL 2021 was taken following days of postponement, citing impending monsoon in India as the reason for the change in venue. The ICC yet to finalise the dates for the conduct of the tournament but it is believed that the World Cup will be held only after the IPL concludes, which could be after October 17. 

IMAGE: PTI/T20WorldCup