CPL agrees to tweak schedule to avoid clash with IPL
In a major development, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has agreed to change the schedule of Caribbean Premier League to avoid clash with the remainder of Indian Premier League 2021 season. The BCCI had earlier requested the West Indies cricket board regarding the same, as the dates of the IPL and CPL would have overlapped. This enables the Caribbean stars to travel for the IPL.
Originally, the CPL was scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 19 in St Kitts and Nevis. As per the revised schedule, the CPL will now run from August 25 to September 15. As a result, the remaining IPL season could resume around September 18-19. The CPL is expected announce the revised schedule shortly.
The remaining IPL season is set to resume on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the final will take place on October 15. Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi will host the matches. The tournament was postponed indefinitely in May after several players tested COVID-19 positive. It was then shifted to the UAE as the BCCI cited "monsoon season" as the reason.
The new arrangement was finalized by the BCCI and CPL authorities after Jay Shah called the CPL COO Pete Russell. Shah also spoke to his counterparts in the CWI, following which they have agreed to change the CPL schedule. "CWI is doing our best to help facilitate a smooth transition from CPL to IPL, without overlap," Ricky Skerritt, the president of CWI, told Cricbuzz.
The CPL could even start on August 26 so that there is over a 24-hour gap between West Indies-Pakistan second Test and the start of the tournament. As per the schedule, the Test ends on August 24.
The CPL authorities are also preparing the logistics for the upcoming tournaments. Notably, the West Indies players can move from the national bubble to their respective franchise bubbles. The CPL-bound players participating in The Hundred (scheduled to end on August 21) won't have to undergo quarantine upon arrival in the Caribbean. They will have the bubble-to-bubble transfer facility.
