Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has suggested a solution to the pertinent problem of scheduling the three marquee events lined up this year.
The conduct of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, along with Asia Cup and ICC T20 World Cup, is at stake at the moment due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The three tournaments will include the presence of all prominent international stars in world cricket. However, due to the current global situation, migration from one country to the other is prohibited.
“As we all know, Australia has barred foreigners from entering the country until September 30. The tournament (T20 World Cup) starts mid-October, so it is looking difficult at the moment,” Sunny told India Today.
According to Gavaskar, the next T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India, should be swapped with the upcoming tournament scheduled this year in Australia.
“Next year the T20 World Cup is in India. If India and Australia come to an agreement and the COVID-19 curve in India flattens out, they can swap. It can be held in India this October-November and next year in Australia around the same time,” added Gavaskar.
There have been speculations regarding the possible windows in July-August. The availability of foreign internationals would turn out to be an issue with bilateral commitments of major cricketing nations.
Also, there have been talks regarding IPL 2020 being held during the T20 World Cup in October-November.
However, with the arrangement proposed by the Little Master, all three tournaments can take place seamlessly.
“If it (T20 WC swap) happens that way, IPL is just held prior to T20 World Cup so there is enough practice for the players. Then you can have the T20 World Cup in November and Asia Cup in December in UAE. December is a much better time to host a tournament in the UAE,” the 70-year concluded.
