IPL 2020 in UAE – Overflowing benefits or severe drawbacks?
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will commence on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is soon expected to chalk out the detailed plan for the franchises. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the board will have to be extremely cautious in taking precautions.
This is not the first time that the tournament is being staged outside India. In 2009, South Africa played hosts, while in 2014, 20 matches were played in the UAE due to the general elections in India at the same time. While IPL 2020 happening this year is in itself an achievement, it has come at some price for the BCCI.
The benefits
IPL taking place this year is a massive relief for the BCCI, as the board would’ve reportedly lost close to Rs 4000 crore if it was cancelled. With increasing Coronavirus cases in India, it seems impossible for them to host the IPL in the country and have finally decided to move it out.
With no chance of international or domestic cricket resuming in India anytime soon, the IPL gets the country’s players moving. After spending months sitting at home during the lockdown, the T20 extravaganza will help them, especially Indian cricketers, to get into the groove.
The most important thing for the IPL is its fans. The Indian fans have been craving for live-action since the New Zealand tour now. Although international cricket has returned, India are only expected to be back on the field in December for the Australia tour. So, the IPL happening, even behind closed doors, will be a breath of fresh air for them. Also, the viewership numbers will be huge, considering the fact that Indian cricketers haven’t featured for a long time.
The drawbacks
BCCI has compromised on a few aspects in agreeing to move the IPL 2020 out of India. One of them has to be not earning enough money like every year. The cash-rich league is a huge flag-bearer for the board in terms of revenue, and it will have to pay some amount to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).
The franchises will lose a lot of gate revenue, which they used to earn by hosting 8 IPL matches at home. The BCCI has reportedly cleared that they won’t be compensating for the loss of ticket revenue to the franchises.
This year, the biggest threat to the IPL is what if someone does a Jofra Archer during the tournament? The England pacer was dropped from the team ahead of the game for breaching the bio-secure protocols. The BCCI will have to decide the course of action in terms of the bio-bubble creation for the tournament and finalise the rules.
Another major obstacle to be considered is what if a player tests positive for Coronavirus in the middle of the IPL. In case, unfortunately, the cash-rich league is cancelled after a cricketer or multiple cricketers test positive for COVID-19, it will be a massive loss for the BCCI to compensate. Also, there will be no other window to continue the tournament later with team India travelling to Australia in December.
Final word
With the Indian government clearing path for the IPL in UAE, the T20 tournament is all set to take place in September. While the move has many repercussions and threats, not having IPL at all will severely damage the financial status of the Indian cricket. In the current situation, the BCCI has opted for the only viable option and hopefully, for cricket fans, it should go ahead without any major issues.