The outbreak of the pandemic coronavirus had a toll on all the sporting activities across the globe including the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on April 16 (Thursday) had postponed the league for an indefinite period.
Meanwhile, the decision comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the lockdown in the country until May 3 to curb the deadly virus from spreading. Only the necessities will be available on shops for a stipulated time frame. However, BCCI has not totally ruled out the chances of hosting the IPL this year.
There are many speculations going around on the fate of the cash-rich league. Reports suggest that the tournament might take place leading to the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. Many cricketing boards are keen to have their players play IPL to gear up for the mega event. Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Simon Katich is also confident about the future of the tournament.
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“Whether it would be in Australia (or elsewhere), that’s an interesting topic of conversation. There would be a few teams – us in particular at RCB, we’d be very happy for it to be played abroad, because a number of our overseas players are Australian and South African, who really would enjoy these conditions in Australia,” Katich told SEN Radio.
Simon Katich had replaced Gary Kirsten as the RCB head coach after the IPL last year. The Virat Kohli-led team is yet to win the league. The former Australia cricketer is confident that BCCI will leave no stone unturned to make IPL 2020 a reality.
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The only window which the BCCI can look for hosting IPL 2020 is September-November. For that to happen, India will have to skip the Asia Cup in Dubai or else, Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council will have to agree to postpone the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for October-November.
“There is a huge economic side to this in terms of what the IPL generates, not only for the Indian economy but also for the franchises as well, and for the BCCI. I guess the thing that has to be weighed up is there’s probably a little bit of a difference in terms of the IPL,” he concluded.
