England and Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler has mentioned that he is hopeful of the IPL 13 happening despite the Coronavirus outbreak spreading rapidly in India. He is expecting a curtailed season this time.

"No news at the moment. We saw, initially, that it was going to be postponed. It's very hard to see this changing in the immediate future, so I don't see that as a possibility at the moment," Buttler said in a Sky Sports podcast.

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He added, "Obviously, it's such a massive tournament for world cricket, so hopefully some of it can go ahead - perhaps a shortened tournament."

The IPL 2020 was originally scheduled to start on 29 March in Mumbai but it was postponed until 15 April to contain the spread of the coronavirus, which has claimed more than 21,000 lives across the globe.

He was also asked about who he would like to self-isolate with and Buttler named Indian spinner R Ashwin. "Ravi Ashwin, probably. It's actually a year ago since I got 'mankaded' because I keep getting tweeted about it, saying 'stay safe, don't go outside' with those pictures of me,” he quipped.

Ashwin on Wednesday had cited the 2019 IPL's Mankading incident involving Buttler to urge people to stay indoor during coronavirus lockdown in the country.

"Obviously, very strange circumstances, but it's actually quite nice to spend some time at home, be with our little girl and actually just be a dad for a bit. I've also been doing some Pilates with my Mrs, in my cricket gear," he said as UK has also been put under lockdown by PM Boris Johnson.

(PTI inputs)