Here's why franchises are fuming at BCCI's decision to stage the Indian T20 League in Maharashtra

The schedule for the upcoming fifteenth edition of the Indian T20 league is yet to be announced. However, the 2023 edition is seemingly all set to take place in Maharashtra, with games to be held across several venues. Thus, the majority of the games will be held in Mumbai.

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As a matter of fact, BCCI plans to conduct several of the games at the Wankhede stadium. Apparently, this hasn't sat well with several teams. According to a report by The Times Of India, some franchises are skeptical about this idea.

They feel that it would give an unfair advantage to the Mumbai-based franchise. As a bulk of the games will be taking place at the Wankhede stadium, it gives the Sharma-led side the home advantage. Besides, the franchise has made this ground their fortress.

“None of the other teams are getting home matches. It will be unfair if MI play a lot of their matches at Wankhede, which has been their den for years. The franchises have raised this concern. The franchisees don’t have an issue with Mumbai Indians playing the bulk of their matches at DY Patil stadium and in Pune. Even the Brabourne stadium is fine. Hopefully, the BCCI will look into the matter,” said a franchise source.

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If the teams continue to have an issue, then it could lead to a lot of complications. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian board wouldn't be too confident about conducting the league in multiple states. A BCCI official recently spoke about the threat of the pandemic.

“Air travel of so many teams is the biggest threat of an outbreak. BCCI doesn’t really want to take chances. The first objective is to complete the league in time in India. No one can predict when another wave may start,” said a BCCI official.