India had good betting odds to win the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. Apart from India having a great T20 side, the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup was scheduled to take place in India during October-November 2021. The home advantage and home support would have given India that extra edge and motivation to win another T20 World Cup.
The way things stand at the moment, it appears that India will most likely have to postpone the T20 World Cup given the current COVID-19 situation in India. If you enjoy betting on cricket matches, you don’t have to wait for the T20 World Cup to do so. You can register at any of the below sportsbooks which give you detailed cricket coverage of test matches, ODIs and T20 games all over the world.
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Current COVID-19 Situation in India
The BCCI had to cancel the 2021 IPL in early May after the COVID-19 situation went out of control in India. News media reported that on a daily basis more than 300,000 individuals were testing positive and more than 3,000 individuals were losing their life to the pandemic. Some journalists claimed that India was underreporting these numbers and to get the real figures, one needed to multiple the published numbers by 8x.
The 2021 IPL continued to take place during the second wave in India but the BCCI soon had to close the IPL after multiple players and staff tested positive. The IPL has since been suspended and postponed indefinitely with overseas players making their way back home. The situation in India is still not under control as the latest reports this week show that that death toll per day has now crossed 4,000 and over 400,000 individuals are getting infected daily.
The BCCI is doing its best to reschedule the 2021 IPL and get it in before the end of this year. However, the BCCI is not looking to host the remainder of the IPL in India as it does not want to run the risk of having the bio-bubble breached. The BCCI will most likely shift the 2021 IPL to the UAE once again or run it in England.
With the BCCI being reluctant to conduct the 2021 IPL in India, it remains to be seen whether the BCCI will want the T20 World Cup to take place later in the year.
Michael Hussey Says T20 World Cup Unlikely
Aussie great Michael Hussey was in India as the batting coach for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Hussey was one of the CSK staff that tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated in India. He has since flown back to Australia and says that in his opinion, it is highly unlikely that the BCCI will conduct the T20 World Cup.
Hussey said that even if the BCCI should push for the T20 World Cup to take place, a lot of the players and cricketing boards will think twice of sending them over to India. The ICC has kept the UAE as a backup venue for the T20 World Cup and the way things stand at the moment, it looks like the 2021 T20 World Cup will be held in the UAE.
2021 Asia Cup Postponed
The 2021 Asia Cup was scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka. However, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLCB) was reluctant to host the Asia Cup given the COVID-19 situation and has requested it to be postponed. The Asia Cup generally takes place once in every two years but with the last two editions being postponed, it looks like we will see back to back Asia Cups with Pakistan hosting one in 2022 and Sri Lanka hosting the other in 2023.
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