The 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), which was initially slated to start on March 29, currently remains suspended until further notice due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The BCCI, on its part, has asserted its intent to conduct the cash-rich tournament but specifics are still not known.
Meanwhile, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Monday (July 6) conceded that India will have to bear with the deadly virus at least till the end of this year or beginning of 2021, effectively ruling out the country’s chances of hosting the T20 league.
Responding to a question on how he looks at the COVID-19 situation in India during a chat with opener Mayank Agarwal, Ganguly said, "I think the next two-three-four months will be a little tough. We will just have to bear it, and by the end of the year or beginning of next year, life should be back to normal."
As of now, there is speculation that the BCCI is eyeing October-November window for IPL 2020 if the T20 World Cup, slated to be played in Australia from October 18 to November 15, gets suspended due to travel restrictions in place in the view of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Although the board wants to stage the tournament at home, the chances are very grim with India having the third largest COVID-19 cases behind Brazil and USA.
New Zealand on Monday became the latest country after UAE and Sri Lanka to present an offer to host the IPL in case the lucrative event can't be held in India.
Speaking on the show #DadaOpensWithMayank for bcci.tv, Ganguly further added: "I will wait for the vaccine to come out. Till then, yes, we will have to be a little more careful...we know what's happening and we don't want to fall sick. Saliva is an issue. Maybe once the vaccine comes out, just like any other illness, everything will be fine."
On a lighter note, the former India skipper also compared the COVID-19 situation with batting tactics which helps a batsman to play according to the pitches.
"It's like batting tactic, it's not same on all pitches, you play differently on slower pitches, you play differently when it turns and you play differently when it is flat. So COVID is at that stage, the stage of recovery. Hopefully, by the end of this year we all should be fine," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
