The central government allowed the opening of sports complexes and stadiums in the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown that was extended from May 18 to May 31 to curb the rise of Coronavirus positive cases in India.

“Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open; however, spectators will not be allowed,” the MHA advisory stated.

This news of reopening of the stadiums, albeit without spectators brought a new hope in Indian cricket fans that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 might be hosted by the BCCI in near future. However, the BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal put the speculations to rest for once and for all.

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“The IPL at the moment is not possible because travel restrictions are still there. So, how can you have the IPL without any travel happening? We are studying these guidelines and will study state governments’ guidelines also. Accordingly, we will plan,” Dhumal told the Indian Express.

Dhumal, however, agreed that this step has now allowed the cricketers to resume outdoor training at their local grounds. “At a local level, cricketers can go to stadiums and resume outdoor training. But the entire team cannot get together because players are scattered,” Dhumal said.

It is learnt that any meaningful discussion about the IPL will start only in August.

According to a BCCI functionary, although a section of cricket administrators and IPL stakeholders seems to have taken the postponement of the T20 World Cup in Australia, scheduled in October-November, for granted, it might not be an open-and-shut case.

“The T20 World Cup is an ICC event. It will generate revenue for the global body, and the ICC will do its level best to organize the tournament as per schedule,” he said.