'We are not even thinking of a backup' - BCCI confident of hosting IPL 2021 entirely in India

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is once again in the news. The mini-IPL auction is all set to take place on 18th February 2021, and the focus of all the teams would be to strengthen their respective outfits ahead of the 14th edition of the league that is slated to be held in the months of April and May.

Now, an important question that needs to be answered is, where will the IPL be held this year? Well, if you also have this question in mind, then BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal has some answers for you. Dhumal stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is working on conducting the entire 14th IPL edition in India.

Dhumal also added that the BCCI is not even having a backup plan in mind as of now. He further stated that India is a much safer venue than UAE for the 2021 edition of the league, and hoped that the situation remains stable in India.

“We are working on having the IPL in India and we are hopeful that we would be able to organize it. We are not even thinking of a back up also at this point in time, we are wanting to do it here. India is probably safer than UAE at this point. Hopefully, the situation remains stable and keep improving and we will have it here,” said Dhumal as quoted by DNA India.

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal reveals why Ranji Trophy was not held

Dhumal also threw light on the reason why the BCCI decided not to stage the Ranji Trophy. The treasurer said that the feedback from the players, selection committee and the state associations was taken into consideration, and it was decided that it would be better to have a white-ball cricket tournament rather than having two Ranji tournaments.

“We took feedback from the players, selection committee, state associations. It was felt that 2020 is already gone and rather than having two Ranji events in the same calendar year, it is better to go for white-ball cricket,” said Dhumal.

Dhumal also said that the BCCI is keen to have the ‘roar’ of the fans back in the stadium, but admitted that in the current situation, the stadiums cannot operate at full capacity. The BCCI treasurer concluded by stating that the Board is looking to have a capacity of around 25 to 50 percent in the stadiums.

“We are reviewing the situation on a regular basis. We want the roar to be back in the stadiums but we have to work in tandem with the state and central government. We are very keen to have the crowds back. Surely, it won’t be 100 percent capacity given the challenges, but we are looking at anywhere between 25-50 percent,” concluded Dhumal.