Indian government on March 24 imposed a nationwide 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, which effectively means that the 13th edition of IPL won’t begin from April 15 and might not happen this year.
IPL 2020 was rescheduled from March 29 to mid-April in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak last month as the BCCI was hoping that the situation would improve.
Amid the crisis, former England captain Kevin Pietersen has proposed a "condensed" league behind closed doors for one of cricket's biggest money-spinners.
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As per Pietersen, IPL 13 should take place the moment there is a window of opportunity.
"Let's say July/August is the earliest, I do truly believe the IPL should happen. I do believe it is the kick-start to the cricket season. I think every single player around the world is desperate to play the IPL," Pietersen said on Star Sports' show Cricket Connected.
The IPL is not just important for players and franchises, but also for the people working behind the scenes and Pietersen totally understands it.
"There could be a way in which to get some money into the franchises, into the economy by having a situation where you use maybe three venues which are completely closed to fans and the players can still go out and play the tournament in three weeks or in four weeks.
"So, it's a more condensed tournament in three venues which we know are safe, which we know are secure," he said.
As of April 4, India has recorded almost 3000 positive cases and 68 deaths due to COVID-19, which has claimed more than 61,000 lives while infecting over 1,140,000 globally.
Although the chances of cash-rich tournament taking place look bleak, Pietersen remained hopeful.
"I don't think the fans need to be risked in this situation. I think the fans need to understand they can't watch a live game at the moment and they might not be able to watch a live game for the foreseeable future," he said.
"(But) what would you guys give right now, to watch Mumbai Indian's versus Chennai Super Kings right now?"
(With PTI inputs)
