Cricket: ICC T20 World Cup to be shifted to UAE, confirms BCCI secretary Jay Shah

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that they will be shifting the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 to the United Arab Emirates. Earlier, the ICC tournament was slated to take place in India, however, the COVID-19 situation has forced the Indian cricket board to relocate the tournament. 

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Speaking to news agency ANI, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said, "We will inform the International Cricket Council today that we are shifting T20 World Cup to UAE. Dates will be decided by the ICC."

The T20 World Cup will take place after the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played. 

As per ESPNCricinfo, the 16-group competition will begin after the Indian Premier League 2021 final, which is relied upon to be held on October 15. 

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The hosting rights of the T20 World Cup stay with the BCCI. The first round of the T20 World Cup will see 12 matches, containing the eight groups – Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ireland, and Papua New Guinea. Four of them will advance to the Super 12s, where they will join the other eight groups. The counterparts for Round one will not be played at the significant venues. 

The T20 World Cup's Super 12-leg will involve 30 matches. This leg of the World Cup is scheduled to begin on October 24. The groups will be parted into two groups, with two from each making it to the semi-finals, trailed by the finals.