The Government of India announced the extension of nationwide lockdown for another 19 days. Under such circumstances, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal called the speculations regarding IPL 2020 ‘premature’.
Much has been talked about the possible window of IPL 2020 slotting in the month of October-November, where the ICC T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in Australia.
The reason being – availability of overseas players in the tournament. With the proposed windows in the month of July-August, ICC’s Future Tours Programmes (FTP) dictates unavailability of the internationals due to bilateral commitments.
“Right now, the picture is very hazy. We don’t even know when the lockdown will end and if we don’t know, how can we even have a meaningful discussion. Once we get clarity from the government, we can then sit and take fresh stock of the situation. Any speculation about its future will be premature,” Dhumal quoted as saying to PTI.
Further, Dhumal raised concerns regarding the global scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic in the future.
“Firstly, if Australia is under lockdown for six months, how can we conclude that they will allow their players to travel from next month right away? What if the travel restrictions for its citizens are still in place. How will they come to India then? And don’t forget that other boards also need to agree,” added BCCI’s top-notch official.
Also, Dhumal touched upon the safety of sportspersons with the ever-growing number of cases inflicting in India due to the pandemic.
“Secondly, even if the lockdown ends in India, what if some of the major cities still have those COVID’ hotspots’? Can we risk the lives of our sportspersons? Thirdly, the players are likely to go without training for months,” concluded Dhumal.
The cash-rich league was scheduled to commence on March 29 but was postponed tentatively to April 15. However, looking at the current circumstances, the possibility of the thirteenth edition of the tournament seems bleak.
