BCCI looking at 4-5 venues in back-up plan to host IPL 2021 in India

IPL 2021 Venue: The Indian Premier League IPL 2021 Auction took place on 18^th February, 2021 in Chennai where all the 8 teams strengthened their squads involving some massive bidding wars and approximately more than INR 145 crores were spent in the day. The 14^th edition of the IPL will reportedly start in the month of April this year. In a recent major development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have chosen five tentative venues in India for the forthcoming edition of the tournament.

IPL 2021: Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore could host IPL 2021

Earlier there were reports which suggested that the entire league-stage of IPL 2021 could possibly be held in Mumbai. However, with Maharashtra looking as the epicenter of the second COVID-19 wave having recorded more than 8,700 cases on February 25, the BCCI have tentatively zeroed in on Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi as the five possible venues for IPL 2021. It is also understood that Mumbai is not a confirmed option as of now because the State Government is yet to give an approval.

“Mumbai is still not final and it is because the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, headed by Uddhav Thackeray, has not yet given the final go-ahead,” an IPL source in knowledge of the development has told Cricbuzz.

BCCI keen on organizing IPL 2021 in India

The BCCI is also very much confident of tackling any kind of clash of dates with the state assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu by ensuring that the IPL 2021 matches are not taking place in the said states during the polling period. As announced by the Election Commission on Friday, an 8-phase poll for West Bengal will be held from March 27 to April 29 while Tamil Nadu will conduct polls in a single phase on 2^nd April. An official from the BCCI also confirmed that they are planning to organize the IPL at more venues that what was originally decided.

The official added that the primary agenda is to take the game to more fans as the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country is returning back to normalcy. The BCCI official also stated that health of the players will surely be a major concern and the feasibility of the bio bubbles along with the logistics will also be taken into consideration while determining the final venues.

“We are exploring the possibility of conducting the IPL at more venues than originally planned. The intent is to take it to more fans as the situation is moving towards normalcy. The feasibility of the bio-secure bubble and logistics will of course be crucial to determine the venues finally. It is a fluid situation and the health of the participants is our primary concern,” said the BCCI official as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

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