IPL 2020: BCCI keeps decision on IPL 13 pending

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Bengaluru, April 13: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was expected to take a call on the future of IPL 2020 on Monday (April 13) and board president Sourav Ganguly too had indicated in that direction.

But MyKhel understands that the BCCI did not convene any video conference on this day and the decision-making exercise has been postponed to a different date, probably to Wednesday (April 15).

"At this stage there is no clarity on the lockdown as some states have extended the lockdown to April 30. The global health condition too has not shown any major improvement. Moreover, the Prime Minister is addressing the nation tomorrow (10 am on April 14), and we are expecting more clarity on the situation after his speech. So, it's better to defer the meeting to take a call on IPL," said a BCCI official.

As of now, the IPL 2020 has postponed until April 15 and the Board officials and other stakeholders might hold a meeting on that day to take a call. The BCCI will discuss the feasibility of finding another window for IPL this year itself but they will also consider the global sporting scenario in which several high-profile sporting events like Olympics, Wimbledon and the UEFA Champions League have been postponed to 2021.

Talking to PTI BCCI treasurer Arun Kumar Dhumal said it is not the right time to take a call on the IPL. "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 a clarity from the government, we can then sit and take fresh stock of the situation. Any speculation about it's future will be premature," said Dhumal.

Dhumal also provided some insight into rescheduling of IPL as speculations are rife about the October-November window.

"Tell me one thing. If Australia is under lockdown for six months, how can we conclude that they will allow their players to travel from next month? What if the travel restrictions for its citizens are still in place? How will they come to India then? And don't forget that other boards also need to agree," Dhumal said.

"Secondly, even if the lockdown ends in India, what if some of the major cities still have those COVID 'hotspots'? Can we risk the lives of our sportspersons? Thirdly, the players are likely to go without training for months.

"Even if we are in a position to conduct a tournament, for international players, we need to give them a bare minimum time to do full-fledged training before we can start a tournament. All these factors can only be clear when we are in a position to discuss," Dhumal said.