After the Apex Council Meeting on Friday, The BCCI has finalised the venues for the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in the months of October- November later this year. A total of Nine Venues has been zeroed upon, namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and New Delhi.
The list has seen four new entrants this year- Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Lucknow. These venues had not hosted any matches during the previous T20 World Cup in 2016. The newly designed, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will be hosting the final match as per reports. The IPL 2021 final will also be held at the same place.
“The nine venues have been informed and it was again discussed that preparations should continue for the showpiece event with an eye on the Covid-19 situation and a call will only be taken closer to the event. It is too early to imagine what can or will happen in October-November with regards to the coronavirus situation. But preparations shall be on,” a BCCI source told ANI.
Getting these new entrants, especially Hyderabad on the list is a good thing for the state as it was desperate for IPL games too. Since no games would mean no revenue. Interestingly Mohali has been left out of the list for the world cup too. Mohali was not selected in the list of neutral IPL venues earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Jay Shah, secretary, BCCI has made it known to the Apex Council about the government’s decision of granting visas to Pakistani players for the Cup. However, there is no update about fans having permission to cross the border to watch the matches. Owing to the political tension between the two countries, India and Pakistan have not played bilateral series for many years. BCCI reportedly held discussions on various topics including participation in the LA Olympics and the start of the new domestic season.