There is a lot of speculation surrounding around the staging of IPL 2020, which remains suspended “until further notice” due to COVID-19 outbreak.
Amid the buzz, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri on Wednesday (May 20) confirmed that plans are on to hold the 13th edition of Indian Premier League with local and international cricketers after monsoon.
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“IPL is one of the greatest engagers. More people watched the IPL last year than those who voted for general elections. For sponsors, cricket is a leader and it will lead the way. The recovery will be sharper than a V-shaped recovery,” said Johri at the TCM Sports Huddle webinar, according to a Hindustan Times report.
“The flavour of IPL is that best players of the world come and play, and everyone is committed to maintaining that flow. But it will be a step-by-step process. We can’t expect normalisation tomorrow,” he added.
India is currently observing the fourth phase of Coronavirus lockdown, which culminates on May 31. The board might be allowed to conduct a few activities if the restrictions are lifted.
Notably, stadiums were allowed to be opened without spectators after the third phase of shutdown ended on May 17.
“We will be guided by the government guidelines. Our advisory says: IPL is suspended till further notice. We are engaging with various agencies. After the current phase of lockdown ends, there is the monsoon. Cricketing activities can start only after monsoon. By then, hopefully things will improve,” Johri stated.
The BCCI CEO also understands that organising IPL won’t be easy even in October-November.
“When flights resume, everyone has to quarantine themselves before playing. We will have to look at how that will impact the schedules, which as it is are tight. Imagine you have to factor in 14-day quarantine prior to practice also. So, there are a lot of moving parts. But we are still optimistic. Hopefully, the situation will improve after monsoon, and we will approach it then,” he said.
Asked about conducting the cash-rich event in empty stadiums, Johri said: “It will not just be in IPL but also international cricket. Although it (gate receipts) gives us small percentage of our revenue, it is important because bulk of that goes in maintenance of stadiums. However, in the short term, before we get back to normal, we can live without (spectators) it.”
(Inputs from Hindustan Times)
