Reports - BCCI mulling over staging ITL in Maharashtra, tournament set to start on March 27

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is mulling over starting the Indian T20 League from March 27 this year. In this case, the dates will be pulled ahead by a week from the previous schedule. The board met the team owners earlier today and discussed on various key points.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is keen to stage the tournament in India itself. Maharashtra is the first choice for the tournament as it has four stadiums that can easily host the entire tournament. This has been considered to limit air travel in the concerning COVID-19 situation in India.

All the team owners attended the meeting, and the main topic of discussion was venue selection. Meanwhile, if the tournament starts on the speculated date, it will most probably go on till the final week of May.

Discussions were made on staging the tournament in UAE or South Africa as well. UAE, however, was ruled due to the dew factor that affected the second leg of the Indian T20 League and the 20-20 World Cup.

All owners were okay with Maharashtra being the primary choice for the upcoming season, but a few official members of the BCCI preferred South Africa. In the end, Maharashtra was chosen as the priority. Schools opening in Maharashtra from the 24th of January encouraged the decision.

The final decision will be taken on the 20th of February, based on the Covid situation in Maharashtra. The BCCI also informed the owners that the auctions will go ahead as planned.