The BCCI has now officially shifted the T20 World Cup to the UAE given the pandemic situation in India, which is expected to witness the third Covid wave in September.
Although the current situation looks better than before with the number of positive cases declining however, the possibility of a third wave cannot be ruled out and in such a scenario, it seems the BCCI took the right step.
Moreover, moving the event out of India looks quite a win-win situation not only for the BCCI but also for the Indian players.
With the showpiece event now shifted out, it is most likely that the Indian players will get a two week break after the IPL 2021 remainder, which too, is going to be held in the UAE.
At present, the bord’s plan is to complete the IPL by the second week of October and start the T20 World Cup qualifier on October 17 at the earliest.
As per reports, the BCCI is flexible in its plan and is expected to finish the IPL remainder on October 10, seven days after which the T20 World Cup will begin.
The qualifying round, which will consist of 12 games, will be played between eight teams – Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea, four of whom will then proceed to the main leg of the showpiece event.
The main leg, which will be held between 12 teams (top 8 teams and 4 teams from qualifying), will start in October’s last week and will thus, leave the Indian players with about 14 days between the two tournaments.
It also means the Indian players won’t have to travel back home and could spend some time relaxing after the hectic IPL schedule.
Meanwhile, shifting the showpiece event to the UAE also solves the tax exemption problem for the Indian cricket board.
The ICC had wanted the host board, i.e the BCCI, to bear the tax liability if its government refuses a waiver, which would have amounted to over Rs. 900 crore and over Rs. 225 crore in case of a partial waiver.
As the BCCI retains the hosting rights, shifting the showpiece event away from India resolves the tax dispute and in the long term, the Indian board want the ICC to adjust the tax shortfall under event costs.