Due to Corona, the 14th season of the Indian Premier League ie IPL had to be postponed midway. Now the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to hold it in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in September-October. However, there are some things that will not be easy for BCCI to overcome.
T20 World Cup
This tournament of 16 teams is proposed in India from mid-October to 14 November. However, Corona does not have a status in India and is also likely to be held in the UAE hosting the BCCI. This will benefit BCCI in that it will get players in one place and shift from one bio bubble (special environment created for players) to another bio bubble. However, it will be a big challenge to prepare the pitches of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
It also needs to be noted that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is also considering organizing the World Cup qualifying matches in Oman. It all depends on the UAE government if it will allow teams to cross the border without quarantine.
Clash with cpl
Caribbean Premier League (CPL) organizers announced on 20 May that the upcoming season would run from 28 August to 19 September. West Indies cricketers are in high demand in IPL. Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians), Andre Russell, Sunil Naren (Kolkata Knight Riders), Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran (Punjab Kings), Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings), Shimron Hetmyer (Delhi Capitals) play in IPL. Apart from this, the CPL also has a dilemma regarding big foreign players, as it includes Faf Duplessis, Imran Tahir (Super Kings), and Chris Maurice (Barbados).
However, there will also be trouble for the CPL as to how they end the tournament before the IPL and send the players directly to UAE from a chartered flight so that the players can play all the matches. In addition to completing the league, CPL will need Cricket West Indies to potentially change the itinerary for the home series against Pakistan. Pakistan’s West Indies tour will begin on July 28, with the team having five T20s and two Test matches. Four days later, the West Indies team will play a home series against Australia.
England players availability
England captain Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders), Jose Butler, Ben Stokes, Joffra Archer (Rajasthan Royals), Johnny Bairstow, Jason Roy (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Sam Curran, Moeen Ali (Chennai Super Kings), Chris Woakes, and Tom Curran (Delhi Capitals) are the top players of IPL teams. Many of these players will not be able to play for the rest of the IPL season, as England Cricket Board Director Ashley Giles indicated that England’s first preference for the limited formats ahead of the T20 World Cup after the Test series against India The series will continue to play.
According to the current schedule, England has to play the white ball series in Bangladesh and then two ODIs against Pakistan. Both series are planned to be held in late September and mid-October. New Zealand, on the other hand, is also planning to play a limited-format series against Pakistan in September-October while Afghanistan will host Pakistan in the UAE in September for a limited-format series.
Moving from bubble to bubble
In 2020, the players came directly into the IPL bubble from the CPL and England-Australia series. All these players came from Chartered Flight. It will also be a challenge for the BCCI to assemble the team in the UAE and quarantine it under the rules of the government there. Players also have a lot of mental difficulties in moving from one bio bubble to another. Many players can also withdraw the name due to this reason.