Even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday discussed the option of conducting a curtailed Indian Premier League (IPL) with the eight franchise owners in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, reports emerged that the cash-rich T20 tournament may well miss the April window thus spelling the scrapping of the 13th season.
In India, there have been two deaths and more than 80 positive COVID-19 cases, resulting in a government directive to shut the fans out of sporting events to avoid large gatherings. Acting on that directive, the BCCI on Friday postponed the start of IPL 2020 from March 29 to April 15, and also called off the ODI series against South Africa.
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But with the outbreak assuming pandemic proportions, the situation is unlikely to improve in the immediate future. The available window for IPL is from April 21 to May 31. If it doesn't happen during this period, the 2020 edition is as good as cancelled.
"If at all the IPL starts, it would be around April 20 but the decision will be made around April 10. If the tournament doesn't start by April 20, it will have to be deferred till the next year," Sportstar quoted a BCCI official.
So, the deadline for the BCCI to come up with a workable plan is effectively April 20, unless they extend it further. For that happen, the richest cricket board in the world will be required to convince other boards.
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The "six-week window from April 21 till May 31" will be enough to host 60 matches with "multiple double-headers," but the decision will depend on the "extent of the virus infection by the first week of April," the official added.
According to the schedule released by the BCCI for the 2020 edition, there were only a handful of double-headers with the organisers taking into consideration fan experience while finalising the fixtures.
Meanwhile, during Saturday's IPL Governing Council meeting "six to seven options," including a curtailed IPL" were discussed. But the focus was solely on public safety.
"The BCCI along with all the IPL franchises have reiterated BCCI's stand of putting safety and well-being of fans, athletes, and employees as a priority," the BCCI said in a statement.
"The board will continue to monitor and work closely with the Government of India, state governments and other state regulatory bodies to decide on the future course of action in the best interest of public health," the statement added.
Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal said that although they want the league to take place, they will have to wait and watch how the coronavirus evolves.
"The government has taken many steps. BCCI has also taken a lot of steps. In today's discussion, we committed ourselves to the IPL. We would like the IPL to happen but we have to wait and watch and see how the virus evolves," Jindal told reporters after the meeting..
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Apart from Jindal, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, Mukesh Ambani's son Akash Ambani and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan also attended the meeting of IPL Governing Council.
