India plans to host New Zealand and South Africa prior to the T20 World Cup 2021. It is learnt that the tour will have more T20Is and fewer Test matches just as a preparation for the marquee event.
Talks are also on to get South Africa for a short series to compensate for the series which was cancelled due to the pandemic in March last year.
India plans to Host South Africa and New Zealand
The New Zealand tour of India was scheduled after the T20 World Cup but the BCCI is reportedly keen on having it prior to the event. According to New Indian Express, India will also host South Africa in October as part of preparations for the World Cup.
India’s domestic season, which was delayed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally took off earlier this month with the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. The tournament is being played in a bio-secure bubble.
A decision on Ranji Trophy was expected to be taken in the meeting on Sunday but the members could not find a consensus, despite BCCI president Sourav Ganguly batting firmly for the prestigious first-class tournament.
“The president remains committed to Ranji Trophy but a few others were not on the same page and wanted to host Vijay Hazare Trophy instead (50-over event). The operations team has been asked to work on the logistics for Ranji Trophy, which is obviously a much bigger challenge in the current circumstances,” a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
“It will be either Ranji Trophy or Vijay Hazare and it will be decided by the end of next week,” the official said.
Women’s cricket to Kick start from Feb
The domestic season for women will start in February which will be followed by the resumption of India’s international cricket. It’s likely that India women will start off with a series against Sri Lanka.
“It is likely to be a full fledged domestic season for women and there will be finally some cricket for our international stars with Sri Lanka and South Africa coming to India,” the official added.
BCCI continue to push tax exemption
The BCCI will also continue to push for tax exemption by the government for the men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled in October-November.
“BCCI is in talks with the government. Even if the desired exemption is not granted, the board will go ahead with hosting the World Cup. It may give up an amount from its ICC revenue kitty,” the official claimed.
