According to sources, United Arab Emirates (UAE) will likely be the newvenue for the upcoming World T20 as the situation in India continues toworsen. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been in discussionswith the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the EmiratesCricket Board, and the final decision regarding the matter will be takenwithin the next two weeks.——————————

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ICC and BCCI are in agreement that India cannot host the tournament due tothe COVID-19 crisis in the country. India’s premier T20 tournament, theIndian Premier League (IPL), has also been postponed indefinitely after asurge in the COVID-19 cases within various franchises.

The World T20 is scheduled to be played in October, and it seems highlyunlikely that the situation in India will improve considerably. Hence theauthorities are inclined towards shifting the tournament to a new location,with UAE seen as the most viable option.

According to a source, “The ICC is in contact with the Emirates CricketBoard regarding hosting of the ICC World T20 in the UAE, and we can saythat almost 80 to 90 percent of the matter has been discussed and issuessorted out.”——————————

“Now the ICC and the BCCI are in [the] final stage of discussion aboutshifting the mega event to the UAE, and an announcement to this effect islikely to be made in the next two weeks,” the source added.

The previous World T20, which was scheduled to be held in Australia lastyear, was postponed to 2022 due to the global pandemic, but it is highlyunlikely that ICC will postpone this year’s mega-event as well.