The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may hold the 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in October-November if some sources are to be believed. The current season was postponed from March 29 starting date to April 14 due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
However, with India nearing 6,000 COVID-19 positive cases with close to 180 deaths, the government might be inclined to extending the lockdown which was put place form March 24, for a further 14 days. This puts the hosting of IPL in some problems, but there is some hope after all.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) expects a decision from Cricket Australia with regards to hosting the T20 World Cup in October-November. Australia is not under lockdown yet but has closed its borders to prevent the spread of the virus.
Though there are still six months left for the event, reliable sources in the ICC indicated that in all likelihood the tournament will be postponed to next year. If this happens, the BCCI might get a window to hold the IPL if the situation regarding COVID-19 gets better.
Meanwhile, India is supposed to host the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021, but the BCCI finds itself in a battle with ICC regarding the tax exemptions. With the Indian government not providing any exemptions, the world cricket body expects BCCI to pay the expense, which the Indian board has refused.
The issue is now will be heard by an arbitration panel in the coming months and the BCCI believes it has nothing to lose if the tournament is moved away. This means Australia will get to host the tournament next year in place of India.
The IPL franchises are confident of pulling off a full season of IPL in 30 days, similar to the 2009 edition which was played in 37 days in South Africa. "Heat won't be a factor in those months and given the number of venues we have, it is definitely possible," an official in the know-how told Express.
There are indications that in case the IPL does happen in October-November then India will not be hosting the scheduled limited-overs series against England.
(newindianexpress.com inputs)
