The craze for cricket is very high in the world especially in India just like the craze for football in Latin America. Cricket is a legacy of Britishers, that was carried on by many other countries around the world. Cricket was originally played by royal houses, kings, and royalties. They adopted the game. It was also a gentleman’s game. The elites also started playing the game, so that they can hobnob with royalty. Gradually it became a game of the masses. This game suited Indians well. Hence become a popular game even more than the national game of the country.
T-20 World Cup is an addition to the different series that have been able to capture the hearts of cricket fans. Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the highest T20 standard. The first Twenty20 International took place on 17 February 2005 when Australia defeated New Zealand, and the first tournament was played two years later, with the introduction of the ICC T20 World Cup.
The latest edition of this much-anticipated series, The 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played in October and November 2021 in India. Originally, the tournament was to be held in Australia from 18 October to 15 November 2020.
However, in July 2020, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that the tournament had been postponed until 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, the ICC also confirmed that India would host the 2021 tournament.
The top nine ranked ICC Full Members, alongside hosts India, qualified directly for the 2021 tournament. Of those ten teams, the top eight ranked sides qualified for the Super 12s stage of the tournament. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh did not qualify for the Super 12s, instead of being placed in the group stage of the competition.
They were joined by the six teams who had qualified for the tournament via the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier. Of the teams in the ICC T20I Championship, the United Arab Emirates and Nepal could only qualify through regional competitions. The top four teams from the group stage will then advance to the Super 12s.
Interestingly, Papua New Guinea became the first team to qualify directly for the 2021 Men’s ICC T20 World Cup, after they won Group A of the qualifier tournament, finishing above the Netherlands on net run rate. It was the first time that Papua New Guinea had qualified for a World Cup in any format. Ireland became the second team to qualify directly to the Men’s T20 World Cup, after they won Group B of the qualifier tournament, also on net run rate.
According to the latest reports the matches will be held at nine venues, namely Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Dharamsala, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. The final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad- the world’s largest cricket stadium with a capacity in excess of one lakh.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had plans of keeping the number of venues to six, but after a number of state units expressed their desire to host the tournament, the board approached the ICC regarding the same. In the 2016 edition of the mega event, India had used seven venues. Mohali and Nagpur have been excluded this time while adding Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow.
As the tournament will be held covering different states the players are expected to travel in biosecurity bubbles keeping the prevailing pandemic situation in mind. It has also been learned that the BCCI would give the ICC a ‘Plan B’ if the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t improve in India. It involves keeping the number of venues not greater than four. The BCCI and ICC have a massive task at hand with 16 participating teams for the T20 World Cup.
Also the Indian government has given the nod to grant visas to the Pakistan players. It has been learned that BCCI secretary Jay Shah has informed the Apex Council about the government’s decision on giving visas to the Pakistan players.
“The visa issue of the Pakistan cricket team has been sorted. However whether the fans can travel across the border to watch matches is still not clear,” said an Apex Council member. India and Pakistan have not played bilateral series for many years now due to political tension between the two countries.
Undoubtedly the most loved sport in India, cricket needs no introduction. Every person, despite his or her age, has an opinion on this game. Really, the craze of cricket in India is dramatic. Every time India plays a match, people in India find some or the other way out of their busy routines to view the live-action. In India, cricket is followed much like a religion and the cricketers cannot be rated less than God himself. Brace yourselves for another rollercoaster ride in your favorite game cheering for your superstars in the coming October!
