The BCCI has made it clear that the 14th edition of the IPL, which has been suspended due to the epidemic, will definitely be played if the conditions are right. But the BCCI is still unsure when this will happen. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla had yesterday said that the tournament had not been abandoned but had been postponed.


The matches were stopped after Sunday's double header. There are still 31 games left in the season. Let us examine some of the options before the BCCI to do this.


In the UAE after the T20 World Cup

The UAE hosted the IPL last season. The UAE was also considered as a backup venue for this tournament. However, the BCCI later decided to hold the tournament in India.


 The latest indications are that the ICC T20 World Cup to be held in India in October-November will be shifted to the UAE. In that case, the BCCI will be able to host the remaining matches of the IPL in the UAE after the World Cup. Things will be easier for the franchise as most of the players will be here to take part in the T20 World Cup.


 The final of the T20 World Cup will be on November 15. In that case, the BCCI can consider resuming the IPL on the 25th after 10 days. The tournament can be completed in 15 days if more double headers are included.


India will next play in the final of the World Test Championship in June. The match will be played in Southampton, England. After that, Virat Kohli and his team will play England in a five-Test series. The series ends on September 14th. After that, India has a one - month break during the T20 World Cup. During this time, the BCCI can organize the remaining matches of the IPL.


Another window ahead of the BCCI is January next year. India will tour South Africa in December. The BCCI may discuss with Cricket South Africa whether the tour will end in the first or second week of January. Currently, no series is scheduled for India in February 2022. Therefore, the BCCI could look into the possibility of playing the remaining matches in the IPL starting in mid - January and ending in February.


 But this window is more risky than the first two. Because if the IPL is held in this window, the mega star auction of 20122 will come to an end. With the new season set to take place in April 2022, franchisees will not have enough time to prepare a game plan. The BCCI is likely to consider this window as a last resort only if it is not possible to hold matches in September or November.