BCCI ponders over South Africa as alternative venue for ITL amidst COVID surge in India

While India are currently playing in South Africa, there is a huge chance of them returning to the rainbow nation in a few months. As the number of COVID-19 cases in India are increasing daily, there is a big question mark over the fifteenth edition of the Indian T20 League (ITL) being conducted in India.

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Thus, the BCCI has put in place a contingency plan to host the Indian T20 league on foreign shores. According to reports, if the deadly virus does go on to dent the chances of ITL 2022 being conducted in India, then the board is inclined to move the upcoming season to South Africa. It is to be noted that the second edition of the league (in 2009) was conducted in the rainbow nation itself.

This report further states that the board is considering Sri Lanka as a possible option to host the Indian T20 league. Earlier, the BCCI had used UAE as an alternative venue for the T20 extravaganza. The thirteenth edition, as well as the second half of the fourteenth edition of the league, was conducted in the United Arab Emirates.

However, that's not an option and UAE is planning its own league and there are numerous logistical challenges as well. A BCCI official confirmed that BCCI is mulling over moving the tournament to South Africa. The thing that works in favour of South Africa hosting the league is the time difference. Over the years, the ITL matches have stretched beyond midnight and many players have complained that they don't get enough rest because of the same. In South Africa, if the matches start at 7:30 PM IST, they will end at 4:00 PM South Africa time.

"We can't be dependent on UAE all the time so we decided to explore more options, South Africa's time difference also works out well for the players," said a BCCI official as quoted by Indian Express.

An official also drew light on the hotel of Johannesburg and said that it was big enough to accommodate several teams. "The place where the team was staying for the second Test is spread over several acres. There were walking tracks and even a pond on the property and that has made things easier for the players who for the last couple of years or so have been confined to their rooms on several overseas tours," said an official. It is to be noted that this edition of the league shall feature ten teams, as Lucknow and Ahmedabad have been named as the two new teams.