Remaining IPL 2021 season to be held in UAE: BCCI

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Saturday that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will be played in the United Arab Emirates for the balance of the season (UAE). Because of the monsoon season in India during those months, the board opted to hold the remaining IPL matches in September and October. The decision was made in the BCCI's Special General Meeting (SGM) on Saturday, which was virtually held. On May 4, the IPL 2021 was postponed after multiple players and support personnel from various teams tested positive with COVID-19.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the remaining VIVO Indian Premier League 2021 matches would be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the monsoon season in India in September and October this year," BCCI said in a statement.

"The decision was made during a virtual Special General Meeting (SGM) when members unanimously voted to resume IPL. The BCCI SGM also authorised the Office Bearers to request a time extension from the ICC in order to make an informed decision on the hosting of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021."

After a flurry of cases appeared within the bio-bubble, the IPL was postponed, with players and support staff from the Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and SunRisers Hyderabad, among others, testing positive for the virus in a short time.

Reportedly, in this season, a total of 29 matches were played before the competition was called off.

The Kolkata Knight Riders' match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 3 was postponed after two players in their camp, Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, tested positive for the drug.

Further, the league was called off soon after, with players from other teams testing positive as well.