MUMBAI: Even as Mumbai and Ahmedabad have been shortlisted as host cities for this year’s Indian Premier League, with India’s financial capital likely to host group stage matches across four venues and the refurbished Sardar Patel stadium in Motera to host the play-offs, the rise in COVID-cases in the country must be a matter of concern, more so since the plan is top allow 50% attendance.
Be that as it may, media reports indicate that four stadia in Mumbai are being discussed to host the IPL league matches that are expected to start in mid-April.
“At the moment there are discussions to host the league matches in four stadia in Mumbai — Bradbourne Stadium, Wankhede Stadium, D.Y. Patil Stadium and the Reliance Cricket Stadium. The play-offs are expected to be held in the refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera,” an official in the know of things told IANS.
The success in hosting of domestic events like the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare one-dayers has made it possible for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to look at the possibility of hosting the cash-rich T20 tournament in India this time after the 2020 edition was moved to the United Arab Emirates due to Covid-19 in India.
BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal had last month said that the 2021 IPL will be hosted in India. “As of now it has been decided that the IPL should be happening in India. In case the same situation prevails (with declining Covid-19 cases in India), then it should happen in India,” Dhumal had said in January.
“We want to do it in India as the IPL is an Indian league. Hopefully, the situation remains the same. It would depend on how safe it is to have eight venues. Maybe we can think of a hub. We will take the final call according to the situation,” he had said.
Will COVID put a spanner in the works for the IPL in India? We think not. Though there is a very real possibility that the plan to have fans in attendance may have to be reviewed if COVID cases rise to unacceptable levels.
