India-England series dates unlikely to change after informal discussions between BCCI & ECB - Reports
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) bid to start the India-England Test series early by a week has reportedly been met with an unfavorable response from the England Cricket Board (ECB).
The ECB recently confirmed that it hadn't received a formal request from its Indian counterparts, but it is believed that informal discussions took place between the two boards, and the ECB is not willing to make changes to the itinerary for the India-England Test series.
The BCCI wanted to get the India-England series started early, as to have more time to conduct the second phase of the IPL in September.
A senior BCCI official gave an update to the PTI and said:
"There is no chance of ECB acceding to BCCI’s request of shifting the dates of the Test series. Since they have made their stand point clear informally, I don’t think there is any point of making a formal request. The ECB have their inaugural ‘Hundred’ from July 24 to August 21. Their broadcast deals and everything is in place. So there is no chance of any shift happening."
The India-England five-match Test series is scheduled to begin on August 4. However, the BCCI seemed interested in getting the tour started early. Indian players will already be in England as they will take on New Zealand in the World Test Championship final on June 18.
Indian Premier League likely to be played between September 15 & October15
As per reports in TOI, the BCCI is looking to conduct the remaining 31 matches of the IPL between the September 15 and October 15 window, just before the T20 World Cup.
The BCCI has called for a Special General Meeting on May 29, and they might announce the plans for the resumption of the second phase of the IPL in the UAE.
The ICC T20 World Cup, meanwhile, is set to start on 18 October and is scheduled to be played in India.
However, the hosts are in danger of losing their rights given the raging pandemic in the country. Like the IPL, the UAE could emerge as the backup destination for the T20 World Cup as well.