ugc_banner

BCCI in talks with ECB to tweak India-England Tests, find window for IPL 2021: Report

WION Web Team
New Delhi, IndiaUpdated: May 20, 2021, 01:46 PM IST
main img
A file photo of IPL trophy. Photograph:(DNA)

Story highlights

The Indian men’s cricket team is gearing up for the long tour of the UK, where the Virat Kohli-led side will not only play the ICC World Test Championship final but also a five-match Test series against England. However, the BCCI is in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a bid to tweak the much-awaited Test series and find a window for the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

The Indian men’s cricket team is gearing up for the long tour of the UK, where the Virat Kohli-led side will not only play the ICC World Test Championship final but also a five-match Test series against England. However, the BCCI is in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a bid to tweak the much-awaited Test series and find a window for the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

IPL 2021 had to be postponed indefinitely after 29 matches as multiple COVID-19 cases emerged within the players and staff in the bio-secure bubble. With a packed international cricket calendar, the BCCI is still seeking a window for the remainder of IPL 2021.

According to a report in The Times of India, the BCCI has held talks with the ECB to tweak the five-Test series and carve out a window for IPL 2021.

“BCCI and the ECB are in discussions to tweak the five-Test series. Details of those discussions aren’t public yet. But in whichever manner the ECB agrees to tweak the Test series, they will want the IPL in England because the counties can earn from it. There’ll be a good chance of a quid pro quo,” a source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

“Only if costs are escalating to a point where it starts affecting stakeholders, the BCCI will consider the UAE as the second option for the IPL. On that front, we aren’t even discounting the idea of hosting the IPL in Sri Lanka,” the sources added.

The five-Test series between India and England is slated to start on August 4 in Nottingham with the final match to be held in Manchester from September 10. With the T20 World Cup starting in mid-October, the BCCI is looking for a window before the showpiece tournament with as many as 31 matches still remaining to be played in the postponed IPL 2021.

With County clubs ready to host IPL 2021 matches, BCCI is looking at England as a possible venue for the T20 tournament.