After UAE, THIS country emerges as one of the contenders to host ICC T20 World Cup 2021

The second wave of COVID-19 put a lot of doubt in the minds of all of whether India will be able to host the IC T20 World Cup in October-November.

While it was expected that the UAE will most likely be the host, a new country has now emerged to host the global event – Sri Lanka.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials on June 1 requested ICC to give a month's time to decide if it can still host the event among the COVID-19 situation and find solutions for other logistical challenges.

However, with the remainder of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) being conducted in the UAE from September 19 to October 15, it most likely that the pitches in UAE may get slower and lower by the time the event is at its peak. Therefore, the BCCI is keeping Sri Lanka as an option.

"See, there is no denying the fact that BCCI and ECB officials have been having discussions on taking the showpiece event to UAE with an eye on the COVID-19 situation in India. But, what also needs to be kept in mind here is that hosting the IPL would mean quite a few games, not to forget other tournaments or matches that might be held in some of the venues and tired wickets by the time of the World Cup," a source was quoted as saying, as reported by Sportskeeda.

The BCCI is still in the early stages of talks with the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials. "Keeping the playing conditions in mind, there have been some talks with SLC officials (on hosting the event in Sri Lanka) and just basic discussions, to be honest. Too early to get into the details, but we still have some time before we need to get back to the ICC to inform them on the situation as the BCCI will continue to have the hosting rights even if it is played outside India," the source added.