India planning to stage IPL in September-October
The Indian cricket board is looking at the September-October window to hold this year’s edition of the IPL (Indian Premier League), Indian media reported quoting Brijesh Patel, the chairman of the league’s governing council.
Whether the tournament can be slotted in there, however, “depends on the future” of the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup, which were originally scheduled for September and October-November respectively.
“Yes, we are looking at those dates, but it all depends on the future of the T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup. Subject to that we are planning (the window for the IPL),” Patel told the Indian Express.
The International Cricket Council has deferred a decision on the World Cup at least to next month but the Asian Cricket Council is keen to go ahead with the tournament on schedule in Sri Lanka after Pakistan board offered it to Sri Lanka due to current global health crisis.
“Again, it depends on how the situation is in September-October,” Patel said. “We have to go by the government directive. First we need the go-ahead from the government. You can’t play a World Cup in empty stadiums. But the IPL being a league, it can be staged behind closed doors. The official broadcaster is OK with that and so are the players because they want to play.”
With this in mind, BCCI is reportedly putting pressure on the ICC to take an early call on the 12-team tournament to be held in Australia in order to go ahead with the planning for the world’s biggest cricket league.
“They can’t leave it till the last minute. All the teams have to prepare if they are going ahead with it. Otherwise all the alternative plans have to be in place. They should decide shortly,” Patel said.
According reports, Sri Lanka and UAE have offered to hosts the IPL given the prevailing situation in India but Patel has said their first preference is India.
“They (Emirates Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket) have informed us that they are prepared to host the IPL. But our first preference is India, if we get the government’s permission,” he said. “It is certain that we cannot play at more than three or four venues in India, but the permission will depend on how the COVID-19 outbreak pans out.
“Otherwise we will have to explore playing overseas, which will be the last option. Once you are playing without spectators, it doesn’t really matter where you are playing as long as it suits television timings.”