Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may have to change Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction’s venue amidst rising Covid-19 cases in the country. Earlier, IPL 2022 mega auction was set to take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13 but with third wave of Covid-19 approaching its peak, the apex board may have to either shift or postpone the event.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. We have finalised the dates and the venue for IPL auction which still hasn’t change. However, if situation becomes worse closer to the dates of the event, we will take a call depending upon the guidelines issued by the government,” the top BCCI source told Sports Tak.
When asked about whether BCCI has a plan B in case increasing Covid-19 numbers have an impact on the auction, the source said that it will all depend on government guidelines.
“We are working on all plans if we have to take a call closer to the event. If situation becomes worse, we can take a call on shifting on short notice. We will have to see whether there is any cap on gatherings or travel restrictions are in place,” the source explained.
While IPL 2022 is still a few months away, BCCI has already asked franchises to make plans for the health and safety of players. The source said that it is too early to talk about IPL 2022. On the other hand, he said that BCCI is looking to host the T20 league in India only instead of shifting it to United Arab Emirates.
This time, it will be a 10-team tournament with the introduction of Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises. The existing eight franchises have already announced their retentions while the two new franchises will announce their initial picks this month.
