The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided the inevitable on Monday as they decided to shift the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 to the UAE. BCCI wrote a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to inform them formally about their decision.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah is confident of making this T20 World Cup an unprecedented success as the board will leave no stone unturned.
Also Read: T20 World Cup to be played from October 17 to November 14 in UAE
“We wanted to apprise you that we have discussed this issue with ICC and have had several rounds of discussions internally. After much deliberation, it has been decided that safety of players and other stakeholders is of paramount importance and keeping that in mind, it is best that we shift the ICC T20 World Cup to the United Arab Emirates,” Shah wrote in a letter to all members of BCCI.
“It was not an easy decision and we mulled over it for months, constantly keeping an eye on the COVID situation all along. However, with the second wave causing such devastation, the decision ultimately boiled down to the safety and well-being of the players and organizers. There is nothing more that we could have wanted than to host this prestigious tournament in India, but it was not to be.”
Meanwhile, BCCI will keep the hosting rights despite moving the tournament out of India.
Also Read: Sourav Ganguly confirms T20 World Cup 2021 will be hosted in UAE
“On the brighter side, the BCCI remains the host for the ICC T20 World Cup and with its prior experience in hosting IPL in UAE, we can say with certainty that it will be hosted smoothly, and the BCCI will leave no stone unturned to make it an unprecedented success,” he further wrote.
“We thank you for your continued support and we hope that you will give your unflinching support on this issue as well, as you have done in the past.”
Interestingly, the second leg of the IPL 2021 will also be hosted by the UAE from September-October. The final is likely to be played on October 15 while the T20 World Cup is in line to kick-off from October 17.
