Amid the coronavirus pandemic crisis, Rajasthan Royals COO Jake Lush McCrum expressed his confidence that the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) will do everything to organise the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2020.
His remarks came even as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) laid out new guidelines allowing sports complexes and stadia to reopen with a caveat that spectators will not be permitted during the lockdown period, which has been extended till May 31.
McCrum revealed that they are in constant touch with the Indian cricket board.
"There are lot of stories in the press, but what I can say based on our conversation with the BCCI is, they are working really hard to find a solution. They are an agile association and can make it happen. We are confident that IPL will happen this year", McCrum said during 'Royal Fans Meet' on Zoom.
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He also dropped a hint about the possible timelines for the IPL 2020. The 13th edition of the cash-rich T20 tournament was originally supposed to be held between March 29 and May 24. But it was postponed indefinitely.
"We are preparing for the September-November window. But nothing has been finalized as of now given the situation at hand. The great thing about BCCI is they have put together the tournament at a very short notice as well in South Africa in 2009, they can do it again," he added.
BCCI, in all probability, will utilise the September-November window to organise the lucrative T20 league considering the fact that the T20 World Cup in Australia is likely to be postponed.
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Former Australia captain Mark Taylor claimed that eventually this year's T20 World Cup would be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, opening the doors for the IPL in that time slot.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held from October 18 to November 15.
Meanwhile, sports minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday that the National Sports Federations (NSFs) can organise sporting events but Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) needs to be maintained and followed.
