IPL 2021 may resume Sept 18/19 in UAE, 10 double-headers on road to Oct 9/10 final: BCCI

In the latest development, the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) is reportedly scheduled to resume in the third week of September in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will be played out during a three-week window, as per PTI.

The 14th edition of the marquee T20 tourney was suspended earlier owing to the outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic, with players and support staff testing positive for COVID despite bio-bubble measures being in place. As per PTI, the IPL 2021 resumption date is said to be September 18 or 19 and will feature ten double-header contests as teams play out the remainder of the 31 games. The final is scheduled to be held on October 9 or 10.

IPL to resume in UAE on September 18 /19: PTI

"The BCCI has spoken to all the stakeholders and the likely IPL re-start could be between September 18th to 20th. Since September 18 is a Saturday and 19 a Sunday, it is more likely that you would want to re-start it on a weekend date," a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"Similarly, October 9th or 10th will be the final as it's a weekend. We are finalising the itinerary and there will be 10 double headers and seven evening matches along with four main games (two qualifiers, one eliminator and the final), which completes the list of 31 matches," the official added.

Further, the BCCI official told PTI that the Indian cricket team, which would complete its final Test against England at Manchester on September 14, will be flown to UAE in a chartered flight. He added that the West Indies cricketers would also fly to UAE after completing the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) adding that there would be a three-day quarantine for players arriving from UK and the Caribbean. A franchise official confirmed that communication from BCCI has come on the matter.

"We have been told by the BCCI to be ready for the tournament. We have been given a September 15 to 20 window," a team official told PTI.

Team India's grueling tour of England

The Indian team will be touring England for a long overseas season and will be in the country for three-and-a-half months to compete in six Test matches. Virat Kohli & Co. will be locking horns with New Zealand in a one-off Test match in the ICC World Test Championship final that will be held at Ageas Rose Bowl, Southampton between June 18-22 after which the focus shifts towards the grueling five-match Test series against England starting August 4.

While Trent Bridge will be hosting the first Test from August 4-8, the 'Mecca of Cricket' Lord's will be contesting the second one from August 12-16. After a gap of almost 10 days, the two teams will be back in action for the third game at the Emerald Headingley from August 25-29. The final two Tests ( September 2-6 & 10-14) will be held at London's Kia Oval and the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester respectively. 

Team India's last Test series win on English soil had come way back in 2007 when the Rahul Dravid-led side registered a 1-0 win in the three-match series. The Indian team had a forgettable outing in the 2011 season where they were handed a 0-4 whitewash a couple of months after their memorable World Cup triumph. In 2014, the MS Dhoni-led side did manage a comprehensive win at Lord's but could not capitalise as they went on to suffer a 3-1 defeat in the five-match series.