'Dubai has set me free' - Sourav Ganguly living lockdown-free life in UAE

The BCCI’s top brass, led by board President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, has been in constant contemplation over finalizing the plans of holding the remainder of the Indian Premier League, after the 14^th edition of it was abruptly halted owing to Covid-19 cases emerging in different camps across two cities.

By the board’s president’s admission, the BCCI would have undergone significant financial losses if the remaining tournament were to be scrapped, although the officials have managed to zero in on UAE as the venue to conclude the unfinished business for the 2021 edition. The league had witnessed 29 games until the IPL Governing Council and BCCI, in a unanimous decision, went ahead and indefinitely postponed the tournament.

Sourav Ganguly had arrived in Dubai earlier this week to get in talks with the Emirates Cricket Board regarding not just the IPL, but also discuss a probability of hosting the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled as of now in India in October-November. Taking to his Instagram account, Ganguly updated about his arrival in the gulf country and posted a witty caption underneath. ‘Dubai has set me free …. from lockdowns,’ read his post.

 

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IPL schedule and fate of T20 World Cup hanging in uncertainty

In a virtual Special General Meeting of the board officials last week, the venue has been finalized, although the larger challenge remains about finalizing the dates and synchronizing the cricket calendars of all the ICC FTP-bound nations. As things stand, several foreign players look set to miss the tournament owing to their international commitments.

The derailed cricket calendar from the last year had already complicated things for all the boards to a large extent, and the current IPL postponement has not made it any easy. England is set to play Sri Lanka and India before it tours Bangladesh and Pakistan, whereas West Indies, too, has back-to-back limited-overs assignments against Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa before their players cater to the CPL duties from August 28^th onwards. Reportedly, the BCCI has been in talks with the Cricket West Indies to advance the CPL’s upcoming edition to avoid its clash with IPL resumption.

As far as India hosting the T20 World Cup is concerned, there are speculations regarding players’ unwillingness to travel to India after the IPL’s Covid-19 debacle. While the situation has improved in the nation recently, the prophesied arrival of a third wave during the time of hosting the World Cup significantly dents India’s chances. The ICC Board meeting held on June 1 has, however, given the BCCI time until June 28 to finalize its plan regarding the T20 World Cup.