A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court against the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to host the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 from 19 September – 10 November 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A Pune-based advocate named Abhishek Lagoo has reportedly filed a petition asking the court to direct the BCCI to hold the IPL 2020 in India instead of UAE, citing if the cash-rich lucrative tournament is held outside India it would cause huge economic and revenue loss to the country.
In his plea, Lagoo has claimed to be an ardent cricket fan himself and said the IPL is the most popular T20 cricket league across the world and its brand value in 2019 was Rs 475 billion – which is the main revenue earner for the Indian cricket board.
It is being said that the petition is expected to be heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Revati Mohite Dere on August 18 (Tuesday).
The petition said: “The IPL is not a charity event. The pandemic has created grave difficulties for all businesses. Holding the IPL in India would prove to be a great economic booster which the country needs desperately.”
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The plea further added that the central government has been granted relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown and allowed reopening of gardens, malls, and other public places from time to time, so, it would not be harmful if the IPL 2020 is conducted in India with proper precautions and safety measures.
The petition also pointed out that the IPL has now become a major economic activity in India and boosts various sectors, generates employment, increases business volume over the years and if the tournament is played outside India, there will be huge revenue loss for the Government of India in terms of logistics, tourists, advertisers and so on.
(With PTI Inputs)
