The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has started planning for hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. Although no venues have been finalized, the BCCI has zeroed in on the dates of a window to host the tournament.
According to the Mumbai Mirror reports, the BCCI could hold the IPL 13 season from September 26 to November 8.
Moreover, the fate of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in October and November, is shrouded in uncertainty as several countries continue to have in place, strict travel restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected over 8.1 million people across the globe.
“I would say it is unlikely…trying to get (teams from) 16 countries into Australia when most countries are still going through COVID spiking is unrealistic or very, very difficult,” Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Earl Eddings said on Tuesday.
Also, BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal has stated repeatedly that the IPL can go ahead if the World Cup is cancelled.
“The board will take a revenue hit of Rs 4000 crore if the IPL doesn’t happen. It will be a big problem,” BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal had told PTI in an interview last month. Hence it looks more and more likely that the event will be held in the September-November window.
Earlier, Brijesh Patel, chairman of the IPL’s governing council, had said a September start is a possibility if the T20 World Cup in Australia does not go ahead, and the 13th season of IPL could be played behind closed doors.
“Yes, we are looking at those dates, but it all depends on the future of the T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup. Subject to that, we are planning [for games in September and October],” Patel told the Indian Express.
“Again, it depends on how the situation is in September-October. We have to go by the government directive. First, we need the go-ahead from the government.”
Patel added that playing matches without a crowd would not be an issue. He said: “You can’t play a World Cup in empty stadiums. But the IPL being a league, it can be staged behind closed doors. The official broadcaster is okay with that and so are the players because they want to play.”
The 2020 edition of IPL was set to begin from March 29 but was postponed for an ‘indefinite period’ due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
