IPL 2022: BCCI to discuss Plan B with franchise owners to host the tournament amidst rise of Omicron cases in India

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is most likely to hold a team meeting with the franchise owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the next month. One of the agendas of the meeting is think about Plan B for the 2022 edition of the IPL due to the rises of Omicron cases in India.

The tournament is scheduled to take place in April/May and the Indian board is on its toes regarding the health hazards that could play spoilsport. Earlier this year, the IPL had to be postponed to the United Arab Emirates after COVID-19 cases entered the IPL camps.

The event was halted in May after which the second leg took place in the UAE. The upcoming season may start on April 2 provided the situation in India, surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, remains stable.

BCCI not considering UAE as option for IPL 2022

However, if reports are to be believed, the BCCI isn’t contemplating shifting the IPL to the Gulf country. However, if the situation doesn’t improve in India, the board may resort to Plan B to avoid any mishap during the tournament.

“The meeting will be mainly introductory in nature with the BCCI on-boarding the owners of the two new teams – Lucknow and Ahmedabad. They are also exploring the idea of holding the whole tournament just in Mumbai and Pune or in the Gujarat cities of Ahmedabad, Baroda and Rajkot if the Covid/Omicron situation worsens.

“The owners will be apprised of the alternatives as well as things to look forward to in the mega auction,” multiple franchise owners were quoted as saying on Cricbuzz.

The BCCI, in the meantime, is mulling hosting the IPL 2022 mega auction in the second week of February for two days. Delhi, Kochi, Hyderabad and Bangalore have been shortlisted as the venue for the auction. The final auction venue will be decided after checking the availability of hotels.

Earlier, the retentions also took place where the current eight teams revealed their list of retained and released players. The two teams from Ahmedabad and Lucknow will also pick their players before the mega auction.