IPL 2020 could be played in Sri Lanka or the UAE: BCCI official
The 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was set to begin on March 29 in India. However, the onset of COVID-19 meant that the BCCI had to delay the tournament indefinitely. Since then, the board has been seeking alternative timelines and venues to host the cash-rich competition.
The BCCI is awaiting a final decision from the ICC with regards to the T20 World Cup scheduled in Australia later this year. If the ICC decides to postpone it, the IPL could well be played in the October-November window. Last month, in a letter written to state associations, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that the board is working on hosting a closed-door tournament despite the ICC’s indecision.
Sri Lanka or UAE?
Now, a BCCI official has reportedly revealed that IPL 2020 may just end up being played outside India.
“We are yet to decide on the venue but in all probability, it is going outside this year. The condition in India doesn’t look suited to have so many teams come in at one or two venues. And then create an atmosphere that will be safe for the players as well as the general public. Even though the games may be played behind closed doors,” the official said.
“The race is between UAE and Sri Lanka and we will need to decide on where we host the league depending on the situation there with regards to the coronavirus pandemic. Logistics also need to be looked into, so we will decide soon,” the official added.
In 2014 owing to the general elections, some matches of IPL 7 were played in the UAE across three stadiums – Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. After the first 20 games, IPL returned to India for the remaining matches. UAE’s cricket board has also shown its readiness to host the tournament just in case the BCCI decides to host it outside India. Sri Lanka Cricket also seemed to show a keen interest.
The BCCI’s first preference though will be to host the tournament in India, even if it means playing without spectators in fewer stadiums. However, if the coronavirus scare continues to persist for a longer time, the decision will eventually come down to choosing between these two countries.
