Reports | T20 World Cup to kick-off on October 17 in UAE with final on November 14

On June 1, the International Cricket Council (ICC) during one of the meetings with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had offered the board one month time to finalise the venues for the T20 World Cup. However, the situation in India hadn’t quite improved, with cases of COVID-19 still on the rise in several states across the country.

That has led the ICC to take the decision of moving the T20 World Cup to the Middle East, according to ESPNCricinfo, where the tournament would kick off on October 17. The publication also reported that the IPL final would be hosted on October 15, in the same country. As per the plan, as reported, the first round of the competition would be split into two groups, with the UAE and Oman serving as the hosts. Hosting one part of the games in Oman would allow for the pitches in the Middle East to breathe before the crucial fixtures. 

As per the schedule, four teams would qualify for the knock-out stage from the group of eight, in round 1 where they will be 12 matches. These teams would join the Super 12s, along with four teams who qualify from the qualifiers - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea.

The Super 12 Phases, the most important part of the tournament would start from October 24, split into two groups, played across three venues -  Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah - with semi-final and final to follow, on November 14. However, the ICC are yet to confirm this development, with the tournament scheduled to start in three months time.