BCCI to seek 1 month's time from ICC for final call on WT20, formal nod for IPL in UAE in Sept-Oct
New Delhi: The general body of the BCCI on Saturday approved the IPL's resumption in September in the UAE and also decided to seek one month's time from the ICC to assess the COVID-19 situation in India before taking a final call on the ICC T20 World Cup.
The Special General Meeting (SGM), held virtually, lasted for about 50 minutes as the members were unanimous in their approval of the two agendas on the day.
"The SGM approved the decision to hold the remaining matches of IPL between September and October. The dates will be intimated later," a senior state association member, who was present in the meeting, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"In September, it's the time for retreating monsoon in India. Also the fact that three grounds in the UAE makes it easier as we had seen in 2020."
The likely dates will be between September 18 and October 10.
He said all the members want the T20 World Cup to be held in India in last week of October but no decision can be taken right now.
"The BCCI representatives -- president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah -- will be seeking time till July 1 after which another SGM will be held to decide on whether we would go ahead with hosting of World T20.
"Right now, the health situation in the country doesn't allow us to take any final decision."
In a short statement, the BCCI said all the members unanimously agreed to resume IPL in the UAE.
"The BCCI on Saturday announced to complete the remaining matches of VIVO Indian Premier League 2021 season in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) considering the monsoon season in India in the months of September-October this year.
"The BCCI SGM further authorised the Office Bearers to seek an extension of time from the ICC to take an appropriate call on the hosting of ICC T20 World Cup 2021," secretary Jay Shah said in the statement.
The senior state association member said there is also a tax rebate issue which is still an ongoing process.
"ICC wants tax waivers but we have to abide by government guidelines. But a World T20 in India means that all the stakeholders happen to gain. But sitting in May, you can't predict the health emergency in October. So we need some time," he said.
While IPL's UAE shift was a foregone conclusion, the office bearers intimated the general body about the issue of availability of players.
"The BCCI is pretty clear that even if there is a case of unavailability of English players due to their series against Pakistan, we are not going to plead to any of the boards about releasing their players.
"The first and foremost thing is to complete the 31 remaining games of IPL. We believe other aspects will be taken care of," he added.
Domestic players' compensation
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
