Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum believes this year’s T20 World Cup will be postponed to early next year with a rescheduled IPL 2020 taking its slot.
Amid the global COVID-19 crisis, cricket has come to a grinding halt, jeopardising the T20 World Cup, slated to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 and also indefinitely postponing IPL 13, which was supposed to begin on March 29.
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Moreover, there is also the Women's ODI World Cup scheduled in New Zealand in February 2021 and McCullum expects it to be pushed further back.
"I think the IPL will try and target that October window and the T20 World Cup will get pushed back," McCullum, who is the coach of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, told Sky Cricket Podcast.
If IPL doesn't take place, none of the players or support staff will get paid.
"That may mean the Women's World Cup gets pushed back but hopefully we get to see all three tournaments operate," he added.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will on Thursday (April 23) review contingency plans for T20 World Cup 2020 and discuss ways to restart the sport once the Coronavirus pandemic subsides.
"For Australia to move 16 international teams plus all of their support staff and then broadcasters, seems a bridge too far. I can't see them playing the T20 World Cup behind closed doors either," McCullum said.
"There may be a window a bit later in the new year of 2021 which could then open up a window for the IPL (in October and November). You'd have to move some overseas players for the IPL but with the broadcasters based in India, it is a lot easier to pull it all together.
"The ICC and world cricket need crowds to operate but India can probably sustain things commercially behind closed doors because they are going to get so many eyeballs."
Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull, who joined McCullum on the Podcast, also opined that it won’t be viable to stage T20 World Cup without spectators.
"A lot of the ICC's revenue for down the track comes from the World Cups so they want as many people in the stands as possible," he said.
"They would hate to see a T20 World Cup under lockdown where no one could go and watch and the atmosphere would probably be a little bit less."
Doull also said ICC need to decide how important is the T20 World Cup.
"How important is the T20 World Cup? That the first question from an ICC point of view," he said.
"Is it important enough to have private jets out of each county with cricket teams on them, two weeks in quarantine in Australia and then the tournament taking place, whether there are fans in the stands or not? Is it that important?".
(With PTI inputs)
