Reports - COVID-19 forces BCCI to consider overseas venues for Indian T20 League 2022

Amidst the worsening situation of COVID-19 in India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is very concerned about the fate of the upcoming edition of the India T20 League (ITL). Notably, the tournament was marred by the virus in the last season as well. After staging a few games in India, the tournament was shifted to UAE after an outbreak in the bubble.

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If the situation does not improve or gets worse, it will be a tough task for BCCI to stage the tournament in India. However, the board is keen on hosting the matches in the country and are exploring many options. They are even mulling to organise the entire tournament in Mumbai.

However, that may also not be possible given how chaotic the situation can get in India. The T20 extravaganza is a massive money generator for the BCCI thus the board wants to keep all their bases covered. If staging the tournament in India is not possible, the BCCI are even zeroing in on some overseas venues as backup options.

“We are exploring all options which include overseas IPL as well. But our focus is to host IPL in India for sure. As of now, our priority is auction, we will soon take a call,” sources read as quoted by IndiaToday

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 is likely to affect the mega auction, set to be held in the second week of February in Bengaluru. Notably, the tournament will be a 10 team event, with two new teams - Lucknow and Ahmedabad set to play their maiden season. The two teams will be allowed to pick three players outside the auction.