Will UAE Be the Venue for the Next T20 World Cup?

The International Cricket Council or the ICC has already announced cancellations of 3 T20 World Cup sub-regional European qualifiers for the 2022 edition in Australia. The pandemic is still the reason behind this decision and many are wondering how this could affect the whole T20 World Cup this year.

Speculations about the fate of the T20 World Cup this year get more intense as the Indian Premier League was already put to a halt mid-season. The Board of Cricket Control in India has already decided that it’s best to suspend the ongoing season as positive cases were detected within the IPL bubble.

For many fans, the BCCI taking long to cancel the IPL was just crazy but to some, they appreciate it as it is their way to cope with the pandemic. However, now that the IPL is already suspended, many are hoping that the T20 World Cup won’t be impacted. Many are simply looking forward to things going back to normal including watching normal cricket seasons and placing bets on the world cup betting odds.

What the ICC Said About the Canceled Matches

The cancelation of the mentioned three matches in Australia was announced on the first week of May. The ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley already released a statement regarding this matter and said, We have unfortunately had to cancel the three T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifiers due to start next month as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 restrictions and the short timelines that the European season provides to allow us to progress with the next step in the pathway, there has been no other option than to cancel. I would like to thank Cricket Finland, the Belgium Cricket Federation, and all participating Members for their collective support in coming to this decision.”

The pathway tournaments for the next T20 World Cup in Australia were supposed to be played from June 13 to July 10 in the countries of Finland and Belgium. As of April 30, 2020, Italy, Germany, and Denmark are already qualified from the Europe sub-regional qualifiers A, B, and C. These teams are scheduled to join other European qualifying teams in Spain in October of this year.

How the IPL Suspension Could Be the Fate of the Next T20 World Cup

Many are already saying that what happened to the IPL could very well happen to other upcoming cricket tournaments including the T20 World Cup. Former cricket player and captain of team Australia between 1971 and 1975, Ian Chappell, talked about the IPL suspension and also mentioned the T20 World Cup.

Chappell said, “The suspension of the 2021 IPL tournament because of surging Covid infections and deaths among the public, and several participants testing positive was a reminder of the game’s vulnerability. In the past, tours have been aborted and matches abandoned for a variety of reasons. Many of these involved backstories, some of which were tragic and others amusing.

“In the current disastrous climate, the suspension of the IPL could also produce a precedent. It may lead to the World T20 event, programmed for India later in the year, either being postponed or moved,” Chappell said.

The BCCI seems to be unsure just yet whether the IPL will be able to pick the rest of the season up before the year ends. It is likely, however, that it will take place in a different country. This is especially if India’s COVID 19 cases won’t get lessened by then.

BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly, was asked if the IPL will be held in England after the World Test Championship and before the five-Test match series against the host. Ganguly only said, “No. India is supposed to go to Sri Lanka for three ODIs and five T20Is. There are lots of organizational hazards like 14-day quarantine. It can’t happen in India. This quarantine is tough to handle. Too early to say how we can find a slot to complete the IPL.”

However, there are reports that the UAE is the best choice of the BCCI if in case they need to change venues this year. After all, last year’s IPL bubble was a success in the UAE. The same is the case for the T20 World Cup, according to BCCI.

The ICC said that it was sticking to hosting the event in India but they still had backup plans if in case anything happens. The ICC didn’t mention a possible backup location but the BCCI said it would be the UAE. BCCI general manager Dhiraj Malhotra spoke to BCC and said, “We’ll take the tournament there, but it’ll still be done by the BCCI.”