"You are flirting with danger" - Aakash Chopra on why IPL 2022 being played entirely in Maharashtra is a good idea

The BCCI intends to stage IPL 2022 in India [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra feels it would be a prudent decision to stage the entire IPL 2022 across four venues in Maharashtra.

IPL 2021 was originally scheduled to be played across six venues in India. However, the tournament had to be postponed and subsequently moved to the UAE due to positive COVID-19 cases when the bandwagon moved from the initial two venues, Mumbai and Chennai, to the next couple of host cities - Delhi and Ahmedabad.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that air travel was one of the primary issues when the IPL was staged in India last year. He said:

"If we have got a learning from the last IPL, it is that you cannot be ambitious, you cannot travel. If you are going to travel too much, then you are flirting with danger, do not do that."

The cricketer-turned-commentator expects IPL 2022 to be staged in India and not in the UAE. Chopra reasoned:

"Where will the IPL happen? It is not happening in the UAE, it has not been part of any discussion till now. Because it will happen in March-April, the COVID wave should hopefully go down till then. Things will be a lot normal, a lot easier - it will happen in India."

BCCI Sources - "Our focus is to host IPL in India for sure but we are exploring all options. As of now our priority is auction, we will soon take a call on that."

#IPL2022

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will certainly hope to stage IPL 2022 in India. Holding the tournament in the UAE is not only a financial hit but also increases the logistical headaches.

Aakash Chopra on holding IPL 2022 entirely in Maharashtra

The initial matches of IPL 2021 were played in Mumbai and Chennai

Aakash Chopra opined that IPL 2022 can be staged entirely in Mumbai or Maharashtra. He explained:

"But there has been a contingency plan kept to stage it in Maharashtra only because the travel is very limited in Maharashtra. There are three grounds in Mumbai and if you want to stretch it a little, you can go to Pune - which is at a driving distance."

BCCI is preparing a plan B for hosting IPL 2022 with rise in corona cases in the country with 3 venues in Mumbai hosting the league. (Source - Cricbuzz)

The former KKR player highlighted that the entirety of IPL 2020 and the second leg of IPL 2021 were staged across just three venues. Chopra elaborated:

"The entire IPL can happen on four grounds when you staged it in only three grounds in the UAE - Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Then Maharashtra has four grounds - DY Patil, CCI, Wankhede Stadium and Pune. So you can stage it there, that must be on the table."

The BCCI would surely be once bitten, twice shy. They might not want to hold IPL 2022 in multiple cities as that could jeopardize the tournament again.