ICC World T20 2021: BCCI gets visa assurances for Pakistani players from Indian government

The 2021 ICC World T20 will be held in India. It would be the seventh edition of the prestigious Twenty20 International tournament, besides being the second edition in India. Windies is the record two-time defending champion, having won in 2012 and 2016.

The prestigious Twenty20 International event, ICC World T20 2021, is all set to be held in India. It would be the second edition of the tournament being held in the nation, with the first being conducted in 2016, besides being the seventh edition overall.

The event would see 16 teams taking part, including two-time defending champion Windies. However, the competition was subject to concern since the Pakistani players' participation was in doubt due to difficulties in getting visas.

India and Pakistan share troubled consular relations owing to the long-standing cross-border tensions, besides having not played bilateral cricket since 2012. As a result, the International Cricket Council had demanded visa assurances from the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the Pakistani players, while failing to get so would put India in a position to lose the hosting rights for the tournament.

Meanwhile, according to a PTI report, BCCI has reportedly been given visa assurances for the same by the Indian government. "The visa issue of Pakistan cricket team has been sorted," a member of the BCCI Apex Council was quoted as saying to the agency.

"However, whether the fans can travel across the border to watch matches is still not clear. It will be decided in due course of time. However, we had promised ICC that it will be sorted. The secretary announced during the meeting," the source added.

Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has reportedly stated that the tournament would be held across nine venues in India (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Dharamsala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad), with the final being held in Ahmedabad. The tournament is slated to be played for almost a month, with a tentative starting date in October.