When is IPL 2021 restarting: When and where will IPL 2021 Phase 2 be played?

IPL 2021 Phase 2: Indian Premier League 2021 was postponed after several players contacted the virus earlier this month.

The 14th season of the Indian Premier League continues to allure media reports with respect to its resumption. Had it not been for a postponement earlier this month, IPL 2021 would have been in its business end by now.

Given how four players from three franchises and a few support staff from another franchise had tested positive for COVID-19 initially in Ahmedabad and Delhi, there weren’t many options left with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) other than postponing the tournament.

If a fresh set of reports are to be believed, BCCI are planning to complete the remainder of IPL 2021 in UAE after the tour of England. Considering that the ECB (England Cricket Board) tinker with the schedule of a five-match Test series against India, IPL 2021 could be played between September 15 – October 15 in the UAE.

Scheduled to commence from August 4, England vs India Test series will culminate on September 14 for now. For IPL 2021 to make full use of a 30-day period between the England tour and ICC T20 World Cup 2021, ECB will have to play a substantial role regarding altering the already announced fixtures.

When and where will IPL 2021 Phase 2 be played?

Speaking to The Times of India, a source close to the developments in the BCCI briefed how the cricket board might look to go ahead with the biggest T20 competition. Even if all these below mentioned things fall into place, IPL 2021 might still be played without some of its biggest overseas stars.

“If we can have those extra days eked out from the India-England schedule, then it adds to the window. If not, then within these 30 days, a full day will have to be set aside for the Indian team and English cricketers to travel from the UK to UAE, five days will have to be set aside for the knockouts later. That will leave the BCCI with 24 days to conclude 27 matches.

“This window has four weekends available, which means a total of eight Saturdays and Sundays for double-headers, that can accommodate 16 matches. That will leave the BCCI with 11 matches to be held in 19 days. That’s a week extra,” the source was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Readers must note that reports of BCCI requesting the ECB to change the schedule of the Test series had emerged earlier this week. Clearing their position on the same, an ECB spokesperson had denied any such request being made by the BCCI.

To accommodate IPL 2021, ECB will also have to look into the fixtures of T20 Blast 2020 and The Hundred apart from just the Test series. Things are likely to receive clarity during BCCI’s meeting with the state associations on May 29.