After the suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 mid-season, several England county clubs have expressed interest in hosting the remainder of the season. A day later, Sri Lanka Cricket have also joined the bandwagon and shown keen interest in hosting the remaining matches of the 14th edition of the IPL on their soil. Despite several organizations willing to host the remaining IPL, the biggest hurdle for BCCI is the finding a window long enough to complete the lucrative tournament. Arjuna de Silva, chief of SLC's managing committee, has said that they can "certainly provide a window" to host the IPL in September.
"Yes, we can certainly provide a window to host the IPL in the month of September", Arjuna de Silva told Deccan Chronicle in an exclusive telephonic interview from Colombo, reports NDTV.
As per some reports, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains BCCI's top choice for hosting remaining IPL matches in the September window just before the T20 World Cup, especially after the last edition which was played turned out to be a huge success.
Speaking about this de Silva said: "We hear the UAE (United Arab Emirates) is their one option but Sri Lanka can not be ignored for all reasons".
Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com
"We are planning to host the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in July-August and the grounds and other infrastructure will be ready for the IPL in September", he added.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly acknowledged that amid a packed international calendar it was hard to find a window to complete the this year's IPL. Ganguly said that as per initial estimates the BCCI will lose around Rs 2500 crore if the matches are not held.