T20 World Cup to be held from October 17 to November 14 in UAE and Oman

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from October 17 to November 14, the ICC said on Tuesday (June 29) confirming the switch. BCCI remain the host even though the tournament had to be moved out of the country due to the consequences of a drastic second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our priority is to deliver the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 safely, in full and in its current window,” said acting ICC CEO Geoff Allardice. “Whilst we are incredibly disappointed not to be hosting the event in India, the decision gives us the certainty we need to stage the event in a country that is a proven international host of multi-team events in a bio-secure environment.

“The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman,” said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. “We would have been happier hosting it in India but considering the uncertainty due to the COVID-19 situation and the importance of a world championship, the BCCI will now continue to host this tournament in UAE and Oman.”

The first round of the tournament, comprising the eight qualifying teams, will now be split between Oman and UAE.

Four of these teams will then progress to the Super 12s round where they’ll join the eight automatic qualifiers.

The upcoming edition will be the first men’s T20 World Cup played since 2016 when West Indies beat England in the final in India.

The eight teams competing in the preliminary stage are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea, before the play-off stage and the Final on November 14.