The United Kingdom is the top choice for hosting the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, as learnt by the sources of TOI. A Special General Body Meeting (SGM) is to be held on May 29 where BCCI will clear its stand on scheduling the remainder of IPL and the T20 Cricket World Cup.
It is understood that England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has agreed to host the matches at various counties. The Indian team will also be touring England for a Test series in August. The TOI source said that the BCCI and ECB are also in talks of tweaking the 5-match Test series.
While explaining why the IPL can be scheduled in England, the source added, "The UK is a relatively costlier destination. But on the flipside the UK government is allowing crowds for sports events. That means, franchises can earn from gate money and that will subsidize costs. As of now, this is how the BCCI is seeing it."
However, the source also added that the decision to shift the IPL to UAE is not yet final. Things can change based on the financial conditions and also based on the Covid-19 situation. There are also chances that IPL might be hosted in Sri Lanka.
"Only if costs are escalating to a point where it starts affecting stakeholders, the BCCI will consider the UAE as the second option. On that front, we aren't even discounting the idea of hosting the IPL in Sri Lanka."
But, this is a piece of source-based information and not confirmed by any official BCCI sources. Keep following ABP Live for the latest sports updates.