T20 World Cup 2021: schedule, tickets and how to watch games in UAE

Pandemic-affected event starts on October 17 and concludes November 14

Carlos Brathwaite, right, guided West Indies to victory in the 2016 T20 World Cup final against England. Reuters

It's the biggest cricket event of the year, and it is happening right here in the UAE.

This edition of T20 World Cup has taken a long time to see the light of day. It was supposed to be held in Australia last year but the pandemic, and the absence of vaccines, made it impossible to hold a multi-team tournament. Remember, the last T20 world event was in 2016, when Carlos Brathwaite broke England hearts in Kolkata.

So India got to host the 2021 edition, which was then moved out of the country earlier in the year following a devastating second wave of coronavirus. The UAE was deemed to be the safest destination to host the tournament - as has been found by IPL, UFC and others have found - the focus of the cricketing world will now be on the Middle East until November 14 - the day of the final.

Prize money

The winners will take home a cheque of $ 1.6 million, while the runners-up will get $800,000. The two losing semi-finalists will receive $400,000 each

All 16 competing teams will receive part of the $5.6m allocated as prize money for the tournament.

Format

The top eight teams in the world qualified directly to the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. Six other teams - Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland, PNG, and Oman - join Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the preliminary stage, which starts on October 17, to fight for the four remaining spots in the main stage of the tournament.

Fixtures

Preliminary round

October 17, Al Amerat – 2pm (UAE time) Oman v PNG; 6pm Bangladesh v Scotland

October 18, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Ireland v Netherlands; 6pm Sri Lanka v Namibia

October 19, Al Amerat – 2pm Scotland v PNG; 6pm Oman v Bangladesh

October 20, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Namibia v Netherlands; 6pm Sri Lanka v Ireland

October 21, Al Amerat – 2pm Bangladesh v PNG; 6pm Oman v Scotland

October 22, Sharjah – 2pm Namibia v Ireland; 6pm Sri Lanka v Netherlands

West Indies Carlos Brathwaite, right, celebrates with teammate Marlon Samuels after they defeated in England in the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, on Sunday, April 3. AP

West Indies celebrate after Carlos Brathwaite hit the winning runs in the final. Getty

Ben Stokes of England looks dejected after the match. Getty

England's Joe Root and Ben Stokes after the match. Getty

West Indies Marlon Samuels dives successfully to make his crease as England’s David Willey throws the ball. Reuters

Joe Root batting for England. Getty

West Indies' Marlon Samuels plays a shot. Reuters

England's Joe Root celebrates dismissing Johnson Charles of the West Indies. Getty

Super 12

October 23, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Australia v South Africa; Dubai - 6pm England v West Indies

October 24, Sharjah – 2pm A1 v B2; Dubai – 6pm India v Pakistan

October 25, Sharjah – 6pm Afghanistan v B1

October 26, Dubai – 2pm South Africa v West Indies; Sharjah – 6pm Pakistan v New Zealand

October 27, Abu Dhabi – 2pm England v B2; 6pm, B1 v A2

October 28, Dubai – 6pm Australia v A1

October 29, Sharjah – 2pm West Indies v B2; Dubai – 6pm Afghanistan v Pakistan

October 30, Sharjah – 2pm South Africa v A1; Dubai – 6pm England v Australia

October 31, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Afghanistan v A2; Dubai - 6pm India v New Zealand

November 1, Sharjah – 6pm England v A1

November 2, Abu Dhabi – 2pm SA v B2; 6pm Pakistan v A2

November 3, Dubai – 2pm New Zealand v B1; Abu Dhabi - 6pm India v Afghanistan

November 4, Dubai – 2pm Australia v B2; Abu Dhabi – 6pm West Indies v A1

November 5, Sharjah – 2pm New Zealand v A2; Dubai – 6pm England v South Africa

November 6, Abu Dhabi – 2pm Australia v West Indies; Sharjah – 6pm England v South Africa

November 7, Abu Dhabi – 2pm New Zealand v Afghanistan; Sharjah – 6pm Pakistan v B1

November 8, Dubai – 6pm India v A2

Semi-finals

November 10, Abu Dhabi – 6pm Semi-final 1

November 11, Dubai – 6pm Semi-final 2

Final

November 14, Dubai – 6pm

Where to watch matches in UAE

Fans can watch can watch all the matches on the CricLife Max channel (Etisalat eLife TV), Switch TV, and the Starzplay app in the UAE.

Tickets

Thankfully, fans will be allowed at venues. Prices for tickets start at 10 Omani Rial in Oman and Dh30 in UAE respectively. ICC have released more tickets for all matches at the competition. Tickets can be bought at https://www.t20worldcup.com/tickets

What's new?

The Decision Review System (DRS) will be used during the tournament, with each team getting a maximum of two reviews per innings.

Also, fate of matches in case players test positive for Covid-19 will be decided by a committee and not by the member boards.