The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council (GC) is most likely to postpone the IPL 2020 final from its scheduled date of November 8 to November 10. This is due to the broadcaster - Star India wanting to use the Diwali week in a better way.
A final decision in this regard will be taken when the GC meets in the next three days. The IPL dates had been locked from September 19 to November 8 in the initially released schedule, one that has been reported extensively over the last week.
The two-day delay, if confirmed, will also warrant that the Indian team – planned to fly to Australia immediately after the IPL – will travel straight from the UAE instead of first returning home. The extension of the final by two days will expand the 51-day window to 54 days as well.
IPL 2020: UAE keen to let crowds attend IPL 13 matches
TOI had reported last week that Star had voiced hesitations about the ‘constricted scheduling’, wanting to make optimum use of the Diwali week. The IPL GC had then advanced the IPL by a week – from September 26 to 19th – thus expanding the league window from 44 days to 51.
If the proposal is passed in the IPL GC meeting, this will be the first time in league’s history that an IPL final won’t be played on a Sunday, as November 10 falls on a Tuesday, – but those in the know say "the entire Diwali week is as good as a weekend, so don’t think that should be a problem".
Earlier, BCCI was not ready to move the final to November 10 as it would hamper its commitments made to the Cricket Australia (CA) as India prepares to head Down Under immediately after the IPL.
Now the Times of India reports that the Indian team will fly directly to Australia from the UAE itself, instead of coming back home to India as planned earlier.
“Even if the players are left without any IPL matches, they will continue to remain in UAE and participate in a camp there. As soon as the IPL is over, the remaining players – busy playing the final knockout matches of the league – will join the rest and the entire team will fly together from there,” say those tracking developments.
(Times of India inputs)
