BCCI to postpone IPL 2020 to July-September: Source

With the sporting world being held on a standstill, one of the most-watched events in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is reportedly being pushed further back away to the coronavirus pandemic.

No IPL 2020 in April? 

Earlier the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)  had shifted the date from March 23 to April 15. As things stand, there is no clear indication of whether the tournament will start in April, since quite a few places in the nation have been put to caution by propagating self-isolation.

As per sources, if the IPL doesn’t make its way by next month the BCCI is likely to postpone it to July-September in order to have a full stretched competition.

It is being said that the franchise owners did meet the governing council members to discuss shortening the league as the ideal ‘Plan B’. But it seems that the BCCI is prioritizing having all 60 matches, if not now then later, if not in India then overseas.

The Future Tours Programmes (FTP) for the year 2020 has given the BCCI the luxury of providing a window to host the league in July-September. Barring Pakistan and England, the other cricket nations have a not so packed schedule during that period.

The Asia Cup which was set to take place in September could make things complicated for India who were also to take a trip to Sri Lanka in June/July for a short ODI and T20I series.

IPL to be held outside of India?

An unnamed source stated that the governing body could replicate the idea of the IPL being conducted partially in India while the other half in another country like it was earlier held during the general elections.

“The 2009 IPL – in South Africa – was played inside 37 days. That’s five weeks and two days. If that kind of a window is made available, the IPL can be held partly in India and partly overseas, or the entire tournament can be shifted, depending on how the Covid-19 situation is globally.”

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