Former South Africa batsman Jonty Rhodes said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become an integral part of the cricket calendar and it will "very difficult to think of passing the year without" the cash-rich T20 league. (More Cricket News)
The 13th edition of IPL currently stands postponed due to coronavirus pandemic, but speculations are rife that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is exploring foreign avenues to hold the league. In fact, as many as three countries -- the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sri Lanka and New Zealand have expressed the desire to host it.
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"It is very difficult to think of passing the year without IPL. It has been an integral part of the cricket calendar since 2008. From the very beginning, BCCI tries to stage IPL every year," said the 50-year-old.
Rhodes also spelled out the importance of IPL.
"IPL is also very important financially and regarding the future of the players as well. The best players in the world play in it. So it is hard to imagine a year passing without it. To me it is meaningless to expect the cricket calendar without an IPL.
The legendary fielder hoped that the tournament could take place by the end of the year once the situation improves.
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"Hopefully by the end of the year, the situation will improve and we can watch the IPL. We know that it will be played in empty stadiums. This time it will be for TV. It will be interesting to see how TV producers create an atmosphere without an audience," he added.
Rhodes also expressed his opinion on the T20 World Cup, which has come under a cloud because of the global health crisis.
"In IPL, it will be that the players will come from outside, they will be quarantined, the teams will get tested, but the fans in the IPL will be from India. Whereas with the World Cup, it is the fans of other teams who will also come to watch the match. It would be very difficult to stage the tournament in such a situation. The Olympics has also been postponed due to this pandemic. Looking at the current situation, I think there are dark clouds on the T20 World Cup," he added.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played in October-November in Australia.
Talking about the impact of COVID-19 in cricket, Rhodes said that empty stands will not have that much of an impact on players in Test matches as compared to ODI or T20Is as they are used to less crowd while playing red-ball cricket.
"I think in T20 cricket, fans and the atmosphere have an impact on the player. Many a times, it changes the attitude of the player as they get inspired by the support of the fans.
"First-class cricket takes place in an empty stadium. If you look at Ranji Trophy in India, there are no fans. But when it comes to Test cricket, I think that the players will play with full competitive spirit whether fans are there or not," he explained.
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International cricket made a return on Wednesday after a 117-day hiatus with England taking on the West Indies in the first Test of the three-match series at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
"Yes, you will need some players in the team who keep on speaking continuously, but I don't think Test cricket will get that much affected because of the absence of fans in the stadium as players have a habit of playing Test matches in front of less audience," he added.
Regarded as the greatest fielder the game has ever seen, Rhodes played 52 Tests and 245 ODIs for South Africa. He has been associated with Indian Premier League from its inception, first with four-time champions Mumbai Indians and now with Kings XI Punjab -- as the fielding coach.
