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The Indian Premier League 2021, which scheduled to start around April 11, is expected to be played across five venues instead of the traditional home-away basis in India, reported Cricbuzz.
Indian cricket board (BCCI) has tentatively zeroed in on Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Delhi as venues while Mumbai has been kept as an option pending talks with the Maharashtra government, who are apprehensive due to the surge of COVID-19 cases acrros the country.
"Mumbai is still not final and it is because the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, headed by Uddhav Thackeray, has not yet given the final go-ahead," a source was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
On the other hand, things could get complex for Kolkata as venue with the Election Commission of India announcing eight-phase Vidhan Sabha election in West Bengal from March 27 onwards. However, the official hinted that the matches could be pulled off during elections just like they did during the 2019 general election.
The website further reported that Lucknow could also be in the mix as one of the venues as BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla is lobbying hard to be included in the venue list but has been ignored for now.
