New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed it hasn't made any offer to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of potentially playing host to the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NZC refuted reports doing the rounds over the same, terming them as mere "speculation" in the matter where the board has had no role.
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"The report is simply speculation. We have not offered to host the IPL nor have we had an approach to do so," NZC spokesperson Richard Boock was quoted as saying by 'Radio New Zealand'.
A BCCI official was recently quoted telling PTI on conditions of anonymity that the Kiwiland, which had declared itself COVID-19 free, has joined the list of cricket countries including Sri Lanka, UAE to have offered to play host of IPL 2020.
"Staging the event in India has to be the first choice but in case it is not safe to have it, then we will look at the overseas options. UAE, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand have also offered to host the IPL," the official had said.
"We will sit down with all stakeholders (broadcaster, teams, etc) and take a call. The safety of the players is paramount. There will be no compromise on that."
The IPL 2020 was originally due to start on March 29, but remains indefinitely postponed due to the ongoing pandemic.
With India now being the third worst-hit country by the deadly outbreak, the tournament seems even more unlikely to take place this year in the home country, raising the possibility of an overseas venue being opted for.
The league has previously been held overseas, with South Africa hosting it in 2009 and UAE seeing one-third of the 2014 edition's matches played there, both times due to the general elections in India.
