New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering 4-5 venues including Hyderabad to host the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 which is scheduled to start in the second week of April.
According to a report in DNA, the board is thinking of hosting IPL 2021 in multiple venues including Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Ahmedabad. It is also holding discussions with the Maharashtra government over the Mumbai venue.
Earlier stand over IPL 2021 venues
Earlier, there were discussions that Mumbai, with four stadiums, Wankhede, Brabourne, DY Patil and Reliance Stadium, will be a good option to create a single bio-secure bubble and hold the eight-week long tournament.
However, the board is compelled to consider other options too following a surge in COVID-19 cases in and around Mumbai.
“There is still a month left for the IPL to start but obviously some decisions need to be taken. It will be risky to have a single city IPL in Mumbai if there is steady rise in cases that’s happening right now,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
“So cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata will be ready to host matches. Ahmedabad, in all likelihood, will host the play-off and final match of the IPL,” he said.
Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Health Department informed on Saturday that the state reported 8,623 new COVID-19 cases, 3,648 recoveries, and 51 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The state has so far reported 21,46,777 total COVID-19 cases, out of which, 72,530 active cases, the Maharashtra Health Department said. A total of 52,092 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state so far.
With 3,648 more recoveries in the state, as many as 20,20,951 cases have recovered from the virus.
With inputs from agencies
