The BCCI are hoping that the England Cricket Board will agree on starting the five-match Test series a little earlier than schedule. That in turn would allow the BCCI to host the rest of the IPL. As of now, the five-Test series is set to start on 4 August and end on 14 September.
The Times reported that India want to move the final Test, scheduled for 10-14 September in Manchester, so that they can have a longer window for the IPL.
If England agree to BCCI’s request, the only possible window could be between 20 July (when Pakistan’s tour of England ends) and 4 August (when India’s Tests start).
The Test series would then end on 6 September, giving the BCCI and the IPL three weeks for 31 games.
However, the first edition of The Hundred is slated to begin on 22 July. ECB have planned for the key Test players to play the first week of the Hundred to give the tournament a boost. If the India Test series is rescheduled, that would not be possible.
India will arrive in England on 2 June and will play New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final from 18 to 22 June in Southampton. After that, they do not have any international games in England till August, which gives them a six-week window.
ECB will take into consideration logistical challenges before taking a decision, given ticket sales for the matches have already started.
There is no clarity on where the rescheduled IPL, if it happens, will take place. While the UAE hosted the IPL in 2020, the United Kingdom could be BCCI’s top choice for the rescheduled tournament this year. The English counties have expressed interest in hosting the tournament.
The IPL was suspended because of rising COVID-19 cases within the bio bubbles. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly then said that the rest of the tournament cannot happen in India.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)