BCCI is currently in no position to take up a call on the future of Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL) and it will be “too premature” to comment on whether the tournament can be held in place of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which will be played in October-November said BCCI’s treasurer Arun Dhumal.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) was scheduled to be played on 29th March but was postponed till 15th April due to the nationwide lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. And with the 2 weeks extension of lockdown in the nation due to the increase in the patients infected by COVID-19, it has become clear that IPL can’t be held in the window of April-May.
In an interview, Dhumal said, “Right now, the picture is very hazy. We don’t even know when the lockdown will end and if we don’t know, how can we even have a meaningful discussion. Once we get clarity from the government, we can then sit and take fresh stock of the situation. Any speculation about its future will be premature.”
Dhumal further provided some practical insight into rescheduling of IPL as speculations are rife about the October-November window.
With six months of the travel ban in Australia, it will be next to impossible for the Aussie players to come to India or any other country to play the 13th season of the IPL.
He also mentioned that the players are currently not training and thus they can’t directly participate in the tournament with the bare minimum of practice.
He insisted that if the IPL takes place in the future, the players will have to go through rigorous and full-fledged training before they decide to start the tournament. All these factors will be taken into consideration before arriving at any decision.