T20 World Cup to begin on October 17 in UAE, Oman; full details here

The ICC T20 World Cup was initially scheduled to be held in Australia in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it got postponed by a year and is expected to take place later this year in the UAE.

The tournament reportedly could begin soon after the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, which is likely to be played on October 15. The remainder of the IPL 2021 will be played in the UAE, starting September 19.

The T20 World Cup could start on October 17 with the final to take place on November 14, according to ESPN Cricinfo.

Although the BCCI is yet to write officially to the ICC regarding moving the T20 World Cup to the UAE, the planning has begun to host the mega event in the Middle East.

The Cricinfo report has also claimed that the first round of the T20 World Cup will be played across two phases in the UAE and Oman, according to the current plans of the Indian cricket board.

The first round, which is expected to have 12 matches, will include 8 teams, out of which four (top 2 from each group) would qualify for the Super 12s. Four teams from this lot: 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 first round is to be co-hosted by one of the UAE venues and Oman.

The Super 12s stage will have 30 matches and will be played across two groups of 6 teams each. The Super 12s are likely to start from October 24. These matches will be played across three venues: Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. This will be followed by three playoffs fixtures – two semi-finals and the final.