Sourav Ganguly has one potentially bold surprise in store for fans post IPL suspension

Former Indian captain and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly's stint as the head of the world's richest cricketing board suffered a huge setback after the IPL 2021 was called off midway with immediate effect. The reason behind IPL 2021 suspension was the emergence of multiple COVID-19 cases in the tournament's bio bubble. With IPL 2021 being suspended, the future of the T20 World Cup 2021 that is slated to take place in India later this year, has also come in jeopardy.

India cricket schedule 2021: Conducting T20 WC safely in India could be a major breakthrough in Sourav Ganguly's presidency

The Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI has called for a Special General Meeting (SGM) on May 29, just two days ahead of the ICC meeting. The SGM that will be conducted virtually will see discussions around hosting the T20 World Cup in India amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and what all measures need to be taken with an eye on the marquee event which is slated to be held in India in October -November.

Last month, the BCCI had decided on the venues for the T20 World Cup 2021 matches. Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium is slated to host the final of the T20 WC. Besides Ahmedabad, the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Dharamsala are the other venues where the T20 World Cup 2021 matches have been scheduled to be held. Moreover, the state associations were informed to continue with the preparations as a call will only be taken closer to the event.

India's COVID-19 situation is gradually improving as the coronavirus cases count has reduced considerably. If Ganguly manages to organize the T20 World Cup 2021 in India, it will be a pivotal moment in the veteran's stint as the BCCI president, which could be saved after the IPL debacle. Notably, besides the T20 World Cup, the international calendar and women's cricket will also be up for discussion in the SGM. When it comes to the resumption of the IPL 2021 though, for the time being, it is believed as per multiple reports that the BCCI has UK as its first choice during the September window before the marquee event.

India cricket schedule 2021: UAE confirmed as a backup venue

The BCCI recently confirmed United Arab Emirates as a backup venue for the T20 World Cup 2021. BCCI's General Manager of Game Development, Dhiraj Malhotra, in a conversation with BBC’s Stumped podcast, confirmed UAE as a backup venue. Dhiraj Malhotra said that plans are still in process to hold the event in India from October to November, despite the ongoing situation. He further added that the BCCI will be planning according to a normal scenario, a COVID scenario and a worst-case scenario. As of now, the BCCI will be targeting and looking at ticket sales and people travelling from all over the world. 

SOURCE: PTI