BCCI considering UAE, Ahmedabad and Dharamsala as potential venues for training camp

The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Apex Council met via video-conferencing on Friday (July 17), and as reported by Sportskeeda, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as the leading contender to host India’s five-week training camp.

The Apex Council also decided that apart from UAE, either Ahmedabad or Dharamsala could also be used as the training camp venue for the Indian cricketers. Most of the Indian cricketers have been under lockdown since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

The UAE is being considered as one of the venues because the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) is most likely to take place there from September 26 to November 6.

Although the Apex Council discussed the matter in the virtual meet, the final decision on the issue rests with the IPL Governing Council.

“If the IPL is held in the UAE, then it only makes sense that the Indian cricketers train there before the tournament. They have a good infrastructure in place. UAE is the most likely choice for the IPL with India getting increasingly unsafe (due to COVID-19),” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“The other likely options are training camp in either Dharamsala or Ahmedabad (at the renovated Motera stadium) with a bio-bubble in place. But the cases continue to increase in India, so UAE will be the safest option,” the official added.

BCCI also considered Sri Lanka and New Zealand for the IPL

Apart from UAE, Sri Lanka and even New Zealand were considered by the BCCI, but the Emirates holds the edge because it is a major airlines hub. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are well-connected with flights from all over the world, be it West Indies, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.

The announcement over the exact schedule of IPL-13 can come as early as next week as the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board meets on Monday to possibly decide on the fate of the T20 World Cup 2020, which was to be held in Australia.

The other major issue discussed during the Apex Council meeting was how to kickstart domestic cricket after the coronavirus lockdown eases. The BCCI intends to start the domestic calendar from mid-December if the situation permits although the season generally begins in September. The nearly three-month delay would mean the board will have to drop a few tournaments.

The Apex Council meeting was attended by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, whose tenure has reportedly ended.

“The BCCI’s legal team okayed his presence and that is why he was there,” the BCCI source told PTI.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s term ends on July 27, but the BCCI has sought an extension for him, the secretary Jay Shah and joint secretary Jayesh George from the Supreme Court.