There is no clarity on whether the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held this year or not. Reports suggest that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is contemplating all options available, even if it means shifting the cash-rich tournament out of India, in any window that will be available during this year.
In an exclusive interview to Timesnownews.com, BCCI Treasurer Arun 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."
In the past, IPL had been conducted out of India twice. The 2009 season was held in South Africa and a part of the 2014 season was held in United Arab Emirates.
“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.
“No country is safe from the COVID-19 pandemic so it’s not going to be easy if we decided to shift IPL out of the country and take players to Srilanka, Dubai or South Africa. The situation is almost the same everywhere, international travel restrictions are also a problem. Srilanka was okay but in the last couple of days cases have risen there so problems are there, we need to deal with them,” he concluded.
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