Manoj Badale, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) lead owner, revealed there have been discussions held between all franchises regarding the possibility of staging games behind closed doors in this year's edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

The league's 13th edition was suspended until at least April 15 in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But given the circumstances, which forced the national government to opt for a 21-day nationwide lockdown, it seems highly unlikely that even a truncated version of the tournament would be played.

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"Both conversations between the owners and the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India], that's already been discussed," Badale told BBC 5 live. 

All stakeholders are fearing major financial losses in case the annual event is cancelled. 

"As with the English Premier League, the atmosphere is a huge part of the spectacle, but, again, these are unprecedented times and sport needs to be put in the right perspective overall. If the way of ensuring the cricket economy survives is by playing behind closed doors, so be it," Badale added. 

One option would be to find a later window for the cash-rich T20 carnival. And even though that will require significant changes to the existing international schedule, Badale emphasized the value of the IPL to the global sport to assert why that should be a possibility. 

"In India, the COVID phenomenon has only really just landed so when we have our owners' conference calls, there's still an expectation that there may be a way of the games being played in June. Personally I can't see it happening until much later in the year," he said. 

"Fundamentally, to the cricket economy - not just to the Indian cricket economy, but to the global cricket economy - the IPL is incredibly important."

"Not just what it means for players, but what it means for the supply chain that a $600m-a-year tournament creates," Badale added. 

(Inputs from Sportstar)