Where and when will the 2021 IPL be completed?

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has ruled out playing the remainder of the IPL season in England in July as he revealed cancelling the tournament would result in losses of more than A$430 million.

The 2021 Indian Premier League was called off last week after multiple breaches of the tournament’s bio-security bubble and Indian officials are now trying to work out how to squeeze the remaining 31 matches into an already cramped schedule.

India will soon head to the United Kingdom for a tour of more than three months that will consist of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand and a five-Test series against England, which is scheduled to finish on September 14.

The England tour will be followed by the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to run from mid-October until the final on November 13.

India’s ability to host that tournament as planned is in doubt given their tragic second COVID-19 wave.

While there is a gap of almost six weeks between the WTC Final in late June and the start of the Tests against England in early August, Ganguly has revealed India will send a white-ball squad to Sri Lanka in July, minus their Test players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who its expected will be playing red-ball intra-squad matches in the UK in preparation for the England series.

It means the rescheduled IPL won’t be held until after the England Tests are completed.

“No … India is supposed to go to Sri Lanka for three ODIs and five T20Is (in July),” Ganguly told Sportstar when asked about completing the IPL after the WTC Final.

“There are lots of organisational hazards like 14-day quarantine. It can’t happen in India. This quarantine is tough to handle. (It’s) too early to say how we can find a slot to complete the IPL.”

With India as well as nations like Australia and England scheduled to play bilateral cricket immediately following the T20 World Cup, Ganguly says the most likely window for the IPL is the month following the Tests in England and before the World Cup.

The decision on where and when the rest of the IPL is held could be dictated by the venue for the World Cup. The BCCI has confirmed the UAE would be the alternative venue should India’s continuing COVID-19 crisis mean the event has to be moved.

Several English counties have reportedly already offered to host the tournament in two weeks in late September, after the England v India Tests are completed.

But with the world’s leading T20 players to already be gathered in one place for the World Cup, and given quarantine and border requirements continue to be a major logistical challenge, playing the rest of the IPL in the same country as the World Cup appears prudent.

With a month-long gap between the end of the England Tests and the start of the World Cup, it’s conceivable the remaining 31 IPL games could be held in a matter of weeks during that time.

Further complicating matters is other bilateral international fixtures that have been locked into the schedule as part of preparations for the World Cup.

England have already confirmed dates for T20s in Pakistan in mid-October while Bangladesh have announced New Zealand and England will tour there before the World Cup, although those matches have not been confirmed.

Last year, Afghanistan also revealed plans to play a T20 tri-series between themselves, Australia and the West Indies immediately prior to the World Cup, although that has also not been officially confirmed.

Speaking late last week, Ganguly said the financial implications of not completing the IPL season would be monumental.

“If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to Rs 2,500 crore (approx $A434m),” he said. “That is going by early estimates.”

“There has got to be a lot of shuffling … (and) we have to speak to other boards and see if a window can be made available before the T20 World Cup.

“(A) lot of things are involved and we will slowly start working on them.”

Key dates: June to November, 2021

June 18-22: World Test Championship Final

July: India limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka*

Aug 4 to Sep 14: England v India Test Series

Oct: T20 tri-series (Australia, Afghanistan, West Indies)*

Oct: England and New Zealand to tour Bangladesh*

Oct 12-16: England T20 tour of Pakistan

Mid-Oct to Nov 13: T20 World Cup

*series and dates not confirmed

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