BCCI wants IPL 2022 in India but hosting tournament overseas among options being considered - Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is focused on hosting the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in India. However, the board is reportedly not ruling out the possibility of shifting the tournament overseas once again amidst the rising cases of COVID-19 across the country.

While the entire season was played in the UAE in 2020, IPL 2021 was divided into two phases with the second phase taking place overseas after a COVID-19 outbreak led to the postponement of the first phase of the tournament which was held in India.

As per a report in India Today, a source in the know-how of things has revealed that the BCCI is exploring all options, including hosting IPL 2022 overseas. The source further added that the Indian cricket board's current priority is to host the upcoming IPL mega player auction ahead of the start of the new season.

"We are exploring all options which include overseas IPL as well. But our focus is to host IPL in India for sure. As of now our priority is auction, we will soon take a call," the source was quoted as saying by India Today.

India has been recording a huge spike in COVID-19 cases on a daily basis with the numbers going up each passing day. The source revealed that the BCCI is monitoring the situation closely and a decision on te venue of IPL 2022 will be taken later. The BCCI has already postponed a number of upcoming domestic tournaments in the country, including the Ranji Trophy.

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Earlier, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said the the board is keen on hosting the next edition of the IPL in India to ensure the fans in the country can once again enjoy the action live in the stadiums. However, with the new wave of COVID-19 making it's presence felt in the country, it remains to be seen how the board will deal with the situation.

While the BCCI is yet to announce official dates of the tournament, IPL 2022 is expected to get underway from Apri this year. The mega player auction is all set to be conducted in February.