IPL 2021: Top 5 reasons why Sri Lanka is a better venue to host IPL than UAE or England

The IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely by the IPL GC and the BCCI after players and staff members of different teams started testing positive for Covid-19. As per the IPL latest news, the IPL 2021 tournament is expected to resume its remaining season in the month of September with the venue yet to be decided. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly will have to consider certain factors before confirming the venue for the remaining of the IPL 2021.

As per the IPL latest news, UAE was being discussed as an alternate venue, but now countries like the UK and Sri Lanka have also expressed their interest in hosting the remaining portion of the league. The remaining IPL 2021 season will be hosted before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and therefore the location of the venue will hold significant importance. Apart from the UK, here are 5 reasons why Sri Lanka is better to host the remainder of the IPL than UAE or England.

1. Sri Lanka shares the same time zone as India

The Sri Lanka Standard Time is the same as the India Standard Time with GMT+5:30 hours. This will allow the matches to be held at the same time as they were held in India. If the matches are held in the UK, a match that was held at 7:30 p.m. in India would have to start at 3:00 pm GMT in the summer. As a result, the BCCI and IPL 2021 sponsors could make the most of the 'prime time slot' on Indian television.

2. India tour of Sri Lanka in July

All the white-ball specialists of Team India will be on the Sri Lanka tour from July 13. India is set to face 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is during this tour, which will get the players familiar with the conditions in Sri Lanka. As a result, most of those players will already be acclimitised to the conditions as well as the bio-bubble. Sri Lanka Cricket is also set to host the Lankan Premier League (LPL) in July-August and therefore the infrastructure to host matches will be readily available.

3. No air travel required for matches

During the IPL 2021, players had to travel across cities for their respective matches which had raised questions about the safety of the players. If the matches are hosted in Sri Lanka, the players can travel by road itself due to the manageable proximity of the stadiums. Lack of air travel will also ensure the prolonged safety of the players.

4. SL likely to be less costly for India

The Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI had to spend a whopping INR 98.5 crore reportedly for hosting the IPL 2020 in the UAE. Moreover, the Emirates Cricket Board charged INR 2.52 crore to stage the Women's T20 Challenge (Women's IPL). The BCCI also ended up spending INR 9.49 crore for conducting regular COVID-19 tests during the IPL 2020. As a result, with the Sri Lankan currency being of lesser value as compared to the Indian rupee, hosting the IPL 2021 in Sri Lanka would be much economical.

5. Suitable weather conditions

In the month of September, the temperature in the UK would be much colder with a maximum temperature of 18.8 degree Celsius. Whereas the temperature in UAE is expected to be around 40 degrees Celsius. Sri Lanka shares a similar tropical climate with India and therefore players would be much comfortable in the suitable temperatures.

Is IPL cancelled?

Since the IPL suspension on May 6, fans have been wondering about the question, “Is IPL cancelled?”. The answer to the question is “No”, the IPL 2021 isn’t cancelled entirely but rather postponed indefinitely and is expected to resume back in the month of September. The BCCI is planning to host the remaining part of the IPL 2021 in the UAE while also getting offers to host the league in the UK and Sri Lanka.

Image Source: AP/IPL Twitter