The much-awaited tournament of the year, the ICC T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin from October 17 in the UAE, with the final scheduled to be played on November 14, according to a report on ESPNCricinfo. The report also adds that the remaining matches of the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will also be played in the UAE, starting September 19.
The tournament was called off on May 4 after many players and support staff tested positive for the coronavirus.
While there is no official confirmation of the same, the BCCI is already putting the plans in motion to host the mega vent in the middle east. The first round of the matches will be shared between UAE and Oman.
In the first round, 12 matches will be played and the teams will fight it out for four spots in the Super 12s. Four teams from that round from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea will join the top eight T20 International (T20I) sides in the Super 12s.
Matches in the Super 12s phase will be played from October 24 and the teams will be split into two groups of six. The matches will be played across all three venues - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah - in UAE.
The ICC had given BCCI till the end of June to decide it can host the T20 World Cup in India. Given the surging Covid-19 cases in the country, there was a chance that the tournament would be shifted outside the country, with UAE leading the race, having successfully hosted IPL 2020 and the second leg of the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021.