BCCI explores the possibility of conducting IPL 2021 at more venues
The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will commence in the month of April this year. In fact, on 18th February 2021, the IPL auctions took place in Chennai, and all 8 teams strengthened their arsenal and splashed a combined amount of more than INR 145 Crores on the auction day.
And now, another news has come in regarding the venue for the IPL this year. And, it is certainly very good news for an Indian cricket fan. An official from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stated that the BCCI is now planning to conduct the IPL at more venues than what was originally planned.
The official added that the main intention is to take the game to more fans as the Covid 19 situation in the country has returned to normalcy. The official also added that the health of the participants would be the primary concern, and the feasibility of the bio bubbles along with the logistics will also be taken into consideration while determining the final venues.
“We are exploring the possibility of conducting the IPL at more venues than originally planned. The intent is to take it to more fans as the situation is moving towards normalcy. The feasibility of the bio-secure bubble and logistics will of course be crucial to determine the venues finally. It is a fluid situation and the health of the participants is our primary concern,” said the BCCI official as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
“There is still some time left,” says an IPL franchise official
In fact, an IPL franchise official revealed that there is still some time left for the IPL to start, but the BCCI is keen to host the IPL across cities. The official stated that the main concern with hosting in a single city is that the Covid situation is changing continuously, and if one of the cities sees a situation where it becomes difficult to host the IPL, another city can take over.
“See, there is still some time left for the league to get underway, but we are more than keen to play the league across a few cities. The worry with hosting it in one city is that the COVID-19 situation is constantly changing. So, if by chance one of the cities picked sees a situation where it gets difficult to host the games, another city can go ahead and logistically it will be easier for the board and the franchises,” added the official.
Meanwhile, millions of Indian fans would be hoping that the IPL takes place in various cities in India so that they can go to the stadium and vociferously cheer for their favourite cricketing stars.