The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be looking to bring the Indian Premier League (IPL) back to Bharat after hosting the second leg of the 14th edition successfully in UAE this year. Due to COVID-19, the last couple of editions of the IPL have been played outside the country. While the complete tournament from start to end was hosted in the UAE last year, IPL 2021 kicked off in Bharat earlier this year before it had to be shifted to the UAE due to COVID-19.
It was the first edition of IPL which was played across two legs in two different countries. Bharat was hit by the second wave of COVID-19 while the tournament's first leg was underway in the country. Players from several teams contracted the infection which led to the postponement of the tournament before it was moved to the UAE where the second leg was concluded on October 15 with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) becoming the champions after beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was recently asked during the launch of the T20 World Cup campaign for My11Circle whether the IPL will return to Bharat next year. The BCCI chief said he was hopeful of the board staging the tournament in front of packed stadiums in Bharat in 2022 as the COVID-19 situation in the country is under control at present.
"I hope so, because it's India's tournament. As much as you see the superb atmosphere in Dubai, it's different in Bharat. It's absolutely madness in Bharat with the stands full. We'd love to have it back in Bharat. I'm sure in the next seven-eight months, the COVID-19 situation will be very different, and we can host it in Bharat with packed stands and the supporters pouring," said Ganguly, who was in Dubai to attend the IPL 2021 final between CSK and KKR on Friday.
With India reporting less than 20,000 COVID-19 cases daily now, the situation is under control. BCCI will be hosting IPL 2022 in India next year if the situation remains the same. Ahead of IPL 2022, the board will add two new teams to the roster and conduct a mega player auction for all ten franchises heading into the new season.