The ICC have officially confirmed UAE as the hosts for the 2021 T20 World Cup after the BCCI communicated its inability to host the event in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India though remains as the host for the event.
The T20 World Cup will be staged at four venues- Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Stadium, Sharjah Stadium and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground.
The T20 World Cup will be played from 17 October to 14 November, beginning only two days after the IPL final.
"Our priority is to deliver the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 safely, in full and in its current window," said acting ICC CEO Geoff Allardice.
"Whilst we are incredibly disappointed not to be hosting the event in India, the decision gives us the certainty we need to stage the event in a country that is a proven international host of multi-team events in a bio-secure environment.
"The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman," said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
"We would have been happier hosting it in India but considering the uncertainty due to the COVID-19 situation and the importance of a world championship, the BCCI will now continue to host this tournament in UAE and Oman."
The first phase of the much-awaited World Cup with the 8 qualifying teams will be split between Oman and UAE. The four teams progressing to the Super 12s round will be joined by the eight automatic qualifiers.
Earlier in June, the ICC had afforded the BCCI a 4-week window to take a final call on whether they would be able to host the event considering the COVID-19 situation in the country.
A source aware of the developments was quoted by IANS on Monday, "The BCCI had filed application for tax exemption but there was no intimation from the [finance] ministry on it."
The BCCI would have had to pay a minimum of Rs 227 crore and a maximum of Rs 906 crore to the ICC on failure to get exemption.
The Board had already missed a few deadlines over the past one-and-a-half years to guarantee exemption.
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