The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to return to India. IPL 2021 will be played in India and is likely to get underway from April 09. The tournament was conducted in the UAE last year due to the coronavirus pandemic and was played across three venues – Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.
However, this year the BCCI is keen on hosting the cash-rich league back home as the situation in the country is now under much control with vaccination drives undergoing across all states. As per a report in India Today, IPL 2021 will be conducted across six venues in India from April 09 to May 30.
Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru will be hosting the 52-day tournament which will have 60 matches overall. BCCI has already successfully conducted domestic tournaments like Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in bio-secure bubbles while the ongoing India-England series is also being played in bio-secure conditions.
All eight teams will be staying in bio-bubbles across the six venues and it remains to be seen if fans will be allowed in all six venues. The 2020 edition of the tournament was played with no fans in the UAE due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, fans have started returning to the stadiums across all parts of the world.
The ongoing Test series between India and England also saw fans return to the stadiums for the second encounter in Chennai and the third, fourth Test in Ahmedabad. BCCI is expected to allow crowds at certain venues where COVID-19 cases have dipped.
