The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday officially confirmed that the upcoming T20 World Cup will not be played in India and instead the BCCI only will host the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Earlier, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said that considering the uncertainty due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, it was tough for them to take the decision of not holding it in India.
The BCCI will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held across four venues – Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground.
The first round of the tournament, comprising the eight qualifying teams, will now be split between Oman and UAE. Four of these teams will then progress to the Super 12s round where they’ll join the eight automatic qualifiers.
“Our priority is to deliver the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 safely, in full and in its current window,” said acting ICC CEO Geoff Allardice said in a statement.
“Whilst we are incredibly disappointed not to be hosting the event in India, the decision gives us the certainty we need to stage the event in a country that is a proven international host of multi-team events in a bio-secure environment. We will work closely with the BCCI, the Emirates Cricket Board and Oman Cricket to ensure fans can enjoy a wonderful celebration of cricket,” he added.
On the other hand, Ganguly expressed: “The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman.”
“We would have been happier hosting it in India but considering the uncertainty due to the Covid 19 situation and the importance of a world championship, the BCCI will now continue to host this tournament in UAE and Oman. The BCCI is looking forward to creating a spectacle.”
The upcoming edition will be the first Men’s T20 World Cup played since 2016, when West Indies beat England in the final in India.