Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has offered the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to host the remaining Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in September.
IPL was earlier suspended indefinitely due to rising coronavirus cases in the league. Since then, several organisations have shown their keenness to host the cash-rich league. SLC also has come forward with their proposal. Last year, the SLC had shown interest in the competition, but the BCCI went ahead with UAE.
In an interview with the Deccan Chronicle, SLC chief of the managing committee, Arjuna de Silva, said that they could ‘certainly provide a window’ to have the league in September.
“Yes, we can certainly provide a window to host the IPL in the month of September. We hear the UAE (United Arab Emirates) is their one option but Sri Lanka can not be ignored for all reasons.”
“We are planning to host the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in July-August and the grounds and other infrastructure will be ready for the IPL in September.”
The biggest hassle for BCCI is to find a slot that can accommodate the remaining part of the league. BCCI President Saurav Ganguly, recently cleared the board will talk with other committees to see if a window can be made available for completing the remaining matches before the T20 World Cup. He also stated that the board could face INR 2500 crore loss if the league is not concluded.
Strangely enough, there are no Sri Lankan players in the IPL. Only Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumara Sangakkara are part of the tournament, that too, as a member of the coaching staff.
It is yet to be decided if the league can be completed later this year, and also if it is conducted will the BCCI take the offer of SLC. According to the reports, the Indian board is considering staging the remaining part of the league in the UAE.
