NEWS
Follow UsThe BCCI is in discussions with the ECB to make tweaks to the five-match Test series between India and England to accommodate the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was called off due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in India. According to reports, it is believed that a request has been made to bring forward the Test series by a week. The series is currently scheduled to commence on August 4.
With many English counties offering to host the tournament, the remaining 31 matches of the tournament could be held in the UK. Also, with crowds being allowed inside the stadiums in the UK, the franchises too could cash in on the gate money, which they couldn't in 2020 as the matches in the UAE were played behind closed doors.
“BCCI and the ECB are in discussions to tweak the five-Test series. Details of those discussions aren’t public yet. But in whichever manner the ECB agrees to tweak the Test series, they will want the IPL in England because the counties can earn from it. There’ll be a good chance of a quid pro quo,” a source said according to a report in the Times of India.
“Only if costs are escalating to a point where it starts affecting stakeholders, the BCCI will consider the UAE as the second option for the IPL. On that front, we aren’t even discounting the idea of hosting the IPL in Sri Lanka,” the sources further added.
The IPL 2021 was suspended on May 4. Other than the UK, UAE and Sri Lanka too could be possible options for the tournament to be held.