BCCI organizes a meeting with IPL team owners to make a plan B if IPL 2022 hits with the Omicron – the new COVID-19 variant. Notably, owing to the raise in COVID19 cases BCCI hosts the IPL 2020 and second leg of IPL 2021 in UAE.
Earlier the IPL 2022 mega auction is rumoured to be held in the second week of January. But owing to some reasons BCCI have not yet revealed any updates on the event.
Also, the reports suggest that the delay has taken place because of the discussion on the approval status of the CVC Capital Partners who were dragged under controversy after buying the Ahmedabad franchise.
The BCCI gets a whooping 12,690cr (1.7 Billion dollars) from the sale of 2 New IPL Teams.
BCCI Plans to Host a Meeting with IPL Team Owners
The initial plan is to have the mega auction in January and then to host the tournament in India itself. However, the same plan was implemented in 2021 which saw the league begin in India, but due to COVID-19 cases with the camps, it was halted and then shifted to the UAE.
To discuss the same, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to hold a meeting with the team owners sometime next month to discuss alternate plans for conducting the 2022 season.
India is witnessing a rapid increase in the number of Omicron cases and the board is concerned about the issues that could take place in April-May when the IPL 2022 is scheduled.
“The meeting will be mainly introductory in nature with the BCCI on-boarding the owners of the two new teams – 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,” multiple franchise officials, who have spoken to the BCCI over the last couple days, say while confirming that the board is not considering UAE, where most games of the last two seasons were held, as an option.
