T20 World Cup 2021 To Begin On This Date In UAE

The 2021 men's T20 World Cup will begin on October 17 in the United Arab Emirates, with the final slated for November 14, as per sources.

The competition will begin a few days after the Indian Premier League final, which is expected to take place on October 15. Starting on September 19, the rest of the IPL 2021 will be held in the United Arab Emirates.

While the BCCI has yet to send a formal letter to the ICC proposing moving the T20 World Cup to the UAE, it has already begun planning for the tournament to be held in the Middle East.

The opening round of the T20 World Cup will be split into two groups and contested in the UAE and Oman, according to the sources.

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Round 1, which will consist of 12 matches, will include eight teams, with four (top two from each group) qualifying for the Super 12s, as per sources. Four teams from this group of eight - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, and Papua New Guinea - will advance to the Super 12s, where they will join the top eight T20I teams. "

The Super 12s phase, which will consist of 30 matches, will begin on October 24. The Super 12s will be held in three venues across UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Teams will be separated into two groups of six players each. The two semi-finals and the final will be followed by three playoff games, as per the report.

Because round one will be co-hosted by one of the venues in the UAE and Oman, the BCCI is certain that fresh pitches will be prepared in the UAE ahead of the Super 12s. A BCCI official said that the board has informed the ICC of India's inability to host the T20 World Cup "internally."

Apart from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah, the capital of Oman, Muscat, has been added as a fourth venue for the competition.

"Yes, the BCCI has formally requested a four-week window to make a final decision during the ICC board meeting, but internally, they have said that they would like to keep the hosting rights and wouldn't mind the tournament being held in the UAE and Oman," said a senior board official familiar with ICC board developments.