BCCI is expected to have a group meeting with IPL franchise owners in the coming month. Due to the rapid increase of Omicron instances in India, one of the meeting’s suggestions is to discuss ‘Plan B’ for the IPL 2022 season.
The league is slated to begin in April/May, and the Indian board is keeping an eye on any increased risks. The IPL was forced to relocate to the United Arab Emirates previously this year after COVID-19 instances were spotted at IPL premises.
Just after the tournament was interrupted in May, the 2nd leg was held in the United Arab Emirates. If the scenario in India around the coronavirus outbreak continues unchanged, the upcoming season could begin on April 2.
BBCI may shift to ‘Plan B’ in terms of avoiding any setbacks
Meanwhile, according to sources, the BCCI is not thinking about moving the IPL to the Gulf nation. But, if the problem in India does not progress, the board may shift to Plan B in terms of avoiding any setbacks during the event.
“The meeting will be mainly introductory in nature with the BCCI on-boarding the owners of the two new ipl Franchise – Lucknow and Ahmedabad. They are also exploring the idea of holding the whole tournament just in Mumbai and Pune or in the Gujarat cities of Ahmedabad, Baroda, and Rajkot if the Covid/Omicron situation worsens“.
“The owners will be apprised of the alternatives as well as things to look forward to in the mega auction,” the insider said.
However, the BCCI is discussing hosting the IPL 2022 giant auction across 2 days in the 2nd week of February. The auction venues have been proposed to be held within Delhi, Kochi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. The final auctions venue will be confirmed upon considering the availability of hotels.
Previously, the current 8 teams announced their list of retained as well as released players during the retentions. Well before the big auction, the two additional teams from Ahmedabad and Lucknow will also choose their players.
