England series should see cricket return to India: BCCI official

The coronavirus pandemic might have forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to push the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to UAE, but fans in India can look forward to the resumption of cricketing action in the country with the England series. Speaking to ANI, a BCCI official in the know of developments said that cricket fans in India can expect to see their favorite stars in action in their own stadiums with England's tour of India.

"The current situation saw us push the IPL to UAE after getting permission from the Indian government. We have been in constant touch with the authorities and have been abiding by the rules and various advisories as the world look to fight the pandemic. The advisories at the time of planning for this IPL season had more stringent restrictions in place. However, we are hopeful of conducting the England series in India itself now that the restrictions have eased and we are working with our partners to have a bio-secure bubble in place. We would therefore see a cricketing action restart in our country. It may still be a while before the spectators could return to watch live action but it will obviously happen in due course," the official said.

Asked if the recent MOU signing with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) also meant that UAE could play second home for the BCCI, the official said that it has been a delight to work with the ECB.

"It is not the first time that we have worked with the Emirates Cricket Board. They always make us feel at home. They have been excellent and the professionalism that we have seen is something ECB should be proud of but it is not surprising with the dynamic Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan's watch. It is not easy to host a tournament like the IPL in these circumstances with not just so many players, but so much happening in the backroom as well. While ECB and we would definitely look to work together for the growth of the game, the England series is likely to happen in India."

BCCI and ECB have signed an MoU and taking to Twitter, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah wrote, "I along with Vice Chairman of Emirates Cricket Board, Khalid Al Zarooni signed an MoU & Hosting agreement between @BCCI and @EmiratesCricket to boost the cricketing ties between our countries. BCCI President, @SGanguly99 & Treasurer, @ThakurArunS were present on the occasion."

In fact, the Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni also appreciated the effort put in by those working behind the scenes to host the IPL. Dhoni returned to the cricket field with a win over Mumbai Indians as he last played a match during the 2019 World Cup when New Zealand beat India in the semi-final. He announced his retirement on August 15 this year.