T20 World Cup: ICC gives BCCI time till June 28 to decide on hosting; UAE as back-up option

New Delhi, June 1: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (June 1) has given the BCCI time till June 28 to take a call on whether it would host the showpiece T20 World Cup 2021 in India amid the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the BCCI is unable to host the event then the ICC has decided to move the T20 World Cup to the UAE, the venue for IPL 2021, with another two venues to be penciled in as options. However, it has also been decided that BCCI will hold the hosting rights even in the case of the tournanent being shifted to the UAE.

The ICC Board met virtually on Tuesday (June 1) with India being represented by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah.

The T20 World Cup is due in October-November this year. The BCCI had sought a month's time and the ICC board unanimously agreed to give that for a detailed assessment of the health situation in the country, which has been left battered by a second wave of the pandemic.

"Yes, the ICC board has agreed to BCCI's request and they will have time till June 28 to decide on hosting the T20 World Cup in India. They will come back to the board next month with a concrete plan," a source in the ICC Board told PTI.