The future of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League hangs by the wire since the outbreak of the coronavirus. BCCI is currently awaiting ICC’s decision on the T20 World Cup to decide on their future. Recent reports suggest that IPL 2020 can move out of India with the number of active cases going up with each passing day.
Meanwhile, the 13th season of the T20 blitz was scheduled to commence from March 29. However, BCCI had to postpone it to April 14 after the first lockdown. And with no signs of improvement and the lockdown extended, the Sourav Ganguly-led panel had to defer the tournament for an indefinite period.
IPL 2020 to move out of India
The latest development suggests that IPL 2020 is likely to move out of India. In a recent chat with IANS, a BCCI official picked Sri Lanka and UAE as front-runners to host the tournament.
“We are yet to decide on the venue but in all probability, it is going outside this year. The condition in India doesn’t look suited to have so many teams come in at one or two venues and then create an atmosphere which will be safe for the players as well as the general public even though the games may be played behind closed doors,” the official told IANS.
“The race is between UAE and Sri Lanka and we will need to decide on where we host the league depending on the situation there with regards to the coronavirus pandemic. Logistics also need to be looked into, so we will decide soon,” he added.