At a time when everything looks settled for the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court demanding the league to be held in India, instead of UAE, as originally scheduled by the BCCI.
Abhishek Lagoo, Pune-based advocate and a diehard cricket fan, has filed the petition and also gave the underlying rationale behind his move. Lagoo remarked that the nation would have to incur a substantial economic loss if the cash-rich happens outside India.
Last year, the brand value of the IPL skyrocketed to INR 475 million. If the market trend is anything to go by, the tournament was expected to continue their bullish run, despite the ongoing pandemic.
“The IPL is not a charity event. The pandemic has created grave difficulties for all businesses. Holding the IPL in India would prove to be a great economic booster which the country needs desperately,” the petition said.
The petition further asserted that the government has already eased up the lockdown regulations and therefore, organising the tournament in India shouldn’t be a big issue, albeit with proper precautions and safety protocols.
The appeal is expected to be heard on August 18 by a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Revati Mohite Dere.
Meanwhile, the apex cricketing body shifted the league to the middle-east after the worsening situation of coronavirus pandemic in India. The nation has more than 2.5 millions active cases with over 50,00 daily cases getting registered as of now.
In contrast, the UAE has less than 6000 active cases as the nation has done a commendable job in battling the deadly virus. Further, the excellent cricketing infrastructure of the region made them the most preferred option for the board.
The IPL 2020 is slated to commence from September 19, and the finals will be played on November 10.
