Kolkata: Ending weeks of speculation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Monday that the T20 World Cup is being shifted from India to the UAE due to the COVID-19 situation.
“We have officially intimated the ICC that the T20 World Cup can be shifted to the United Arab Emirates. The details are being chalked out,” BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI.
“The decision was taken keeping health safety concerns of all stakeholders in mind,” he added.
The tournament was scheduled to be held in India from October 18 to November 15. The BCCI wanted to wait till as long as possible before taking a call. Though the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is under control now, the possibility of a third wave influenced the decision to move the event out of India.
IPL-14, which had to be postponed midway in early May, will be completed in the UAE in September-October. The World Cup will be held after the IPL gets over.
The matches will be held in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. However, BCCI will remain hosts of the showpiece T20 meet.