T20 World Cup set to begin on October 17 in UAE

The ICC T20 World Cup is set to start from October 17 onwards in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the final of the T20 World Cup is scheduled for November 14.

As per the report, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially.

“Round 1, which will include 12 matches, will comprise eight teams from which four (top two from each group) would qualify for the Super 12s,” ESPNcricinfo reports.

“Four teams from this lot of eight – Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea – will then progress to the Super 12s, joining the top eight ranked T20I teams,” the report further read.

The Super 12s phase, comprising 30 games, is slated to begin from October 24 across three venues in the UAE – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

After the Super 12s phase, there will be three playoff games – the two semi-finals and the final.

Earlier, the ICC after the board meeting had confirmed that the BCCI would retain hosting rights of the T20 World Cup even if the tournament is moved out of India.

The ICC Board had also requested management focus on its planning efforts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on the event being staged in the UAE with the possibility of including another venue in the Middle East.

“A final decision on the host country will be taken later this month. The Board also confirmed that the BCCI will remain the hosts of the event regardless of where the event is played,” the ICC said in an official release.