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IPL 2020: BCCI not averse to hosting IPL 13 outside India, hints Arun Dhumal

Cricketers, as well as the fans, believe that the IPL 13 could still be hosted in the year and if the T20 World Cup 2020, scheduled in Australia, gets postponed due to the pandemic, it might provide just the opportune time for the BCCI.

IPL 2020: BCCI not averse to hosting IPL 13 outside India, hints Arun Dhumal

New Delhi, June 4: The union government in India may have allowed unlocking of the nation so that life gets back to normal in the post-coronavirus era. But there is still no certainty on the resumption of sports in the country as the COVID-19 cases are still rising.

The country has already crossed the 2 lakh mark and almost 8000-10000 new cases are emerging nationwide. All this causes a further delay in the successful conduct of sports in the country.

Due to the same reason, the fate of highly-anticipated Indian Premier League Season 13 also hangs in the balance. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), as well as the fans, are eagerly waiting for things to get back to normal so that the cash-rich league is organised for it would also help boost the economy.

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IPL 2020 has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic that has brought the world on its knees. Cricketers, as well as the fans, believe that the IPL 13 could still be hosted in the year and if the T20 World Cup 2020, scheduled in Australia, gets postponed due to the pandemic as it might provide just the opportune time for the BCCI to organise the T20 league in that window.

The BCCI treasurer Arun Kumar Dhumal believes the board's priority will be to organise the tournament in India if everything falls into place. But if the safety of the players, which is of paramount importance, is not fool-proof at home then the board might also consider hosting the domestic league abroad.

In an interview with TimesNow, Dhumal said, "If it is safe for our players to play IPL in India, then it would be our first preference but in case the situation does not permit and we are not left with any choice and a window is available then we can look at moving IPL 2020 out of India."

The IPL was organised overseas in the past and if the board deems it fit then it could do it again this year as well, hinted Dhumal.

"We have done it in the past in South Africa. We may not want to do it willingly but if that's the only possibility then there is not much anyone can do about it," Dhumal further added.

Earlier, on the resumption of the national camp in the country, Dhumal said, "The (resumption of) national camp is under review with the cricket operations team and NCA staff working out the possibility to have it as soon as possible. Different states are taking different measures (with regards to relaxation on lockdown), so we will take a call accordingly."

"Everybody (players) comes from one or the other state. They can coordinate with their respective state association and train till the time it is safe for the entire team to get together," he said.

It has been more than a week since domestic flight operations resumed in India and Dhumal said the board will confirm the location for the national camp only when the safety of the players is ensured.

"The flights have just started. We will see the progress with regards to the flight situation and take them to a safe location where we are 100 per cent sure of their safety then we can organise that. We are looking into that," he said. Asked how soon the players can get together, Dhumal said: "It is difficult to put a time frame to it".

Story first published: Thursday, June 4, 2020, 15:05 [IST]
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