IPL 2021 in England? English county clubs urge ECB to offer BCCI stunning September option

Following the postponement of IPL 2021 midway due to the COVID-19 pandemic, England's county clubs have written to the England Cricket Board (ECB) and expressed their keen interest in hosting the remainder of IPL 2021 in the United Kingdom. Going by the reports of ESPNcricinfo, a group of top English County Clubs has written to ECB and suggested the board to extend the opportunity to BCCI in order to host the remainder of IPL 2021. 

The MCC, Surrey, and Warwickshire, which are based at Lord's, The Kia Oval (both London), and Edgbaston (Birmingham), respectively are understood to be part of the group who wrote to the ECB inviting them to extend the opportunity to the BCCI. The plans would see the tournament completed in around two weeks in the second half of September. The report also revealed that the subject is likely to come up at a virtual ICC meeting of the national chief executives scheduled to take place on May 6. 

The English counties also promised to deliver quality cricket to top players as a build-up to T20 World Cup which is slated to be played in October this year. According to the report, the county clubs also hope to stage IPL 2021 in front of crowds. 

BCCI Considering September Window To Finish IPL 2021

A BCCI official quoted by ANI has revealed that the Indian Cricket Board is keen to tap the September window to conclude the IPL 2021 before the T20 world cup. The BCCI official hinted that if the COVID-19 situation will be under control in September then the 14th edition of IPL can be completed. "Why not? If the foreign players are available and the COVID-19 situation is in control, we can definitely look at that window before the T20 WC. It can in fact act as a good preparation ground for the showpiece event," the official said.

'IPL 2021 should never have been held in India'- Nasser Hussain

Meanwhile, former England captain Nasser Hussain has said that the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) had to be called off given the dire situation in India, where lakhs of people are contracting the COVID-19 virus each day. Nasser said that BCCI conducted a successful IPL last year in UAE, which should have been the norm for this year too. However, the former England skipper highlighted that nobody could have predicted the second wave to be so deadly and like everyone else BCCI may have thought that the country was already through the worst of the pandemic. Nasser said he understands where the decision to stage the IPL in India may have stemmed from, adding "there was no other option than to call-off the tournament". 

(Image Credits: @ECB_cricket/PTI)