BCCI wants to finish the league in September
One of the main reasons for the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council jointly agreeing to postpone the Indian Premier League on Tuesday was to ensure the welfare of everybody participating in the tournament.
As part of the build-up to the T20 World Cup, which is set to take place in October this year, English counties have also vowed to provide professional cricket to top players. The counties also hope to host the IPL 2021 in front of a large crowd, according to reports. The BCCI meanwhile, wants to finish the league in September, before the T20 World Cup.
A senior BCCI official familiar with the situation told ANI that if the situation is under control by September, the 14th edition of the tournament can be completed.
"Why not? If the foreign players are available and the COVID-19 situation is in control, we can definitely look at that window before the T20 WC. It can in fact act as a good preparation ground for the showpiece event," the official had said.
Danny Reuben, the England cricket team's head of team communication, told ANI that while eight players had returned to the UK, the remaining three were scheduled to leave India in the next 48 hours.
"I can confirm that 8 of the 11 England players in India managed to get on a flight to Heathrow last night and have landed this morning. They will now quarantine in government-approved hotels. The remaining three -- Jordan, Malan, Morgan -- should leave India within the next 48 hours," he had said.
Several English counties offered to host the rest of the IPL
Several counties in England stepped up on Thursday and offered to host the rest of the IPL. Even if the current schedule is a challenge, MCC, Surrey, Warwickshire, and Lancashire are part of the group.
However, it is understandable, given that India will travel to England for a four-month tour to compete in the World Test Championship against New Zealand, followed by five Tests against the host country until September.
