The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has altered it schedule to avoid a clash of dates with the second part of the 2021 Indian Premier League. The IPL, suspended in May due to the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19 in India, is slated to resume in the UAE.
The remaining 31 matches of the IPL Season are expected to be played in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai from September 18-19 to October 10.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India seems to have ensured the participation of the Caribbean players in the remainder of the IPL as the organisers of the CPL have revised its schedule to avoid a clash of dates with the popular Indian T20 tournament.
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the CPL will now be played in St Kitts and Nevis between August 26 and September 15. That means the players will have four days to join the IPL in the UAE. The CPL was originally scheduled to start on August 28 and conclude on September 19, the day IPL is expected to resume.
The Indian Premier League was suspended mid-season last month after the coronavirus breached its bio-bubble and is scheduled to restart in the UAE from September 19.
The development would please the BCCI, especially when participation of the Australian players in the IPL is under doubt, according to a PTI report.
“Both IPL and CPL are important to CWI, to our cricketers and to fans,” Ricky Skerritt, the Cricket West Indies president said.
“CWI’s role was to facilitate arrangements for a non-overlapping and smooth transition from one tournament to the next. Cricket administrators must collaborate if cricket is to survive the risks and costs of COVID-19.”
Skerritt said they would also soon finalise the guidelines for the franchises to be part of the bio-secure bubble.
“Any bubble-related decisions are made by the local St Kitts health authorities and CPL medical advisors (same as CWI), in the context of the local Covid-19 situation,” he said.
“Just four weeks ago, St Kitts recorded community spread for the first time. For over a year, all cases were imported, identified, quarantined, and recovered. The first local Covid-19 (related) death happened just two days ago,” he said.
The likes of big-hitting Chris Gayle, spinner Sunil Narine and all-rounder DJ Bravo among others are part of different IPL franchisees.
It may be noted that the owners of two the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings also own teams in the CPL – the Trinbago Knight Riders and the St Lucia Zouks respectively.
