New Delhi: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 being played in India was postponed in the first week of May 2021 due to Coronavirus epidemic. After this, the remaining matches of the IPL were played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the September-October window.
The BCCI had to shift the tournament to UAE due to Covid-19. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly expects IPL 2022 to be played in India. He believes and hopes that the worst phase is over and now the upcoming events in India will not be affected by the dreaded virus.
“I think we have gone past it and the worst is over. Hopefully, we can get back IPL in India next year because it’s India’s tournament and it’s a different atmosphere when it’s played in India. International cricket is on. We hosted New Zealand. We are going to South Africa. West Indies and Sri Lanka will follow. So I think the worst is over,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by News18.
“We have succeeded in completing the IPL in spite of all the Covid issues by taking it to Dubai. The sports authorities in Dubai have been exceptional. Our domestic cricket is on in full flow like it was before. Last year was a bit of a break because of the Pandemic. We have almost completed every tournament. The Ranji Trophy starts in January. The junior cricket is on. And there has been no positive cases (of Covid) so far,” he added.
When asked to comment on the possible impact of Covid-19's new variant Omicron, he said that he is not worried right now.
“Not yet. We will assess the condition in due course and see what happens,” he added.
Talking about the national team, India has to tour South Africa from 26th December, where it will play three Test matches in addition to three ODIs.