IPL 2021: BCCI looking at the September window to finish the tournament

With COVID-19 cases increasing inside the bio-bubble, the BCCI decided to suspend the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) indefinitely on Tuesday. The board also stated that they will look to create a safe and secure passage for each and everyone to reach home to their loved ones. Meanwhile, BCCI and the IPL is also exploring another window to finish off the tournament.

It has been understood that the September window is being mulled to resume the IPL 2021. 29 of the 60 scheduled matches have been already completed and the BCCI will need a small window of around three weeks to complete the competition.

“A September window is being considered. By then the England-India series would be over and the foreign player would be ready for the T20 World Cup. That small window is being explored,” a franchise official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Need to examine ICC and other boards’ plans, says IPL Chairman

Meanwhile, the IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel has also opened up on the possibility of the 2021 season of the T20 extravaganza resuming in September. India’s tour of England is set to end on September 14 while the T20 World Cup later this year is scheduled to take place from October 18 to November 15.

This allows BCCI a small window to conduct the tournament even as the venue for World Cup is still uncertain. Brijesh Patel didn’t deny the possibility of playing in the September window but reckoned that the board will have to assess the plans of the ICC and other boards too.

“Now we have to look for a window. If we get one, we will explore holding it. We’ll have to see if it is possible in September. We need to examine the plans of the ICC and other boards,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the positive COVID-19 cases in SRH and DC camps forced BCCI to take a tough decision of suspending the league. It had all started with Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier from the KKR camp testing positive for the virus.