The fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2020 has been postponed by Tamil Nadu Cricket Association on Monday (May 18) due to the widespread outbreak of the COVID-19 in India.
After leading to the postponement of almost all the sporting events across the world, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, the ongoing global Coronavirus pandemic has also affected the TNPL2020.
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The 2020 season of the much-anticipated T20 league was originally scheduled to commence on June 10 but now it has been delayed until further notice due to the deadly outbreak in the country.
The TNCA said in a statement on Monday: “The revised schedule will be released in due course.”
Meanwhile, the TNCA secretary R.S. Ramasaamy was confident that the TNPL will be held this season amid the Coronavirus threat as the state body is exploring other dates for the domestic tournament.
Ramasaamy told Sportstar, “The TNPL was slated to begin on June 10. But after lockdown 4, we can have a meeting only on June 1. Then to start the tournament in 10 days is impossible.”
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He further added, “We have two other windows before September. One of the options is to start TNPL on July 15 and end it by the middle of August. Or we could begin on August 1 and finish it in about 20 days so that there is a gap between TNPL and the IPL.”
Well, there will be no TNPL games in Chennai this season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, as Salem and Coimbatore along with Natham and Tirunelveli will host the matches for this season’s T20 league.
Ramasaamy further said, “We will be having matches at Salem, Coimbatore, Natham, and Tirunelveli. The reassuring factor is that all these four centers are in the green zone. That makes our job easier. We will need about a month to get the grounds and the floodlights ready. We are confident. Our organizational capacity is excellent.”
The TNCA secretary also said that the tournament will be held at the empty stadiums this year as the TNPL has a window till September 15 to stage the league.
He signed off by saying, “Almost 99 percent, we will be having the matches before empty stadiums. It’s a pity but cannot be helped under the circumstances. However, journalists, broadcasting crew, officials, and the local organizers will be allowed into the stadium.”
(With Sportstar Inputs)
