IPL 2020 To be played in UAE

The IPL 2020 will likely be played entirely in the UAE between September and November

A final decision will be taken by the BCCI once the ICC announces the likely postponement of the men's T20 World Cup, scheduled between October 18 and November 15 in Australia. The ICC Board is scheduled to have a call on July 20 to discuss the matter, and a final decision on the World Cup is likely to be taken then. It is understood that the BCCI has written to the Indian government seeking permission for the tournament to be shifted to UAE and also get the necessary travel permission for the players and officials of the teams.

On Friday, the BCCI's Apex Council discussed the possibility of the IPL being played in the UAE in its entirety. It is understood that the BCCI would still prefer conducting the tournament in India, but the Covid-19 situation - the number of infections in the country are on the rise - has meant that the UAE has been identified as the next-best option.

In April, the BCCI deferred the IPL indefinitely because of the pandemic. With over a million cases at the moment, India is third on the list of countries in terms of infections and has officially recorded over 26,000 deaths.

"We are ready to fully support the IPL if it chooses to come and play in the UAE. We will provide all the support concerning the protocol and government permission required to host the IPL. We are waiting for written confirmation from BCCI"Mubashshir Usmani, ECB secretary