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HomeCricBlogCoronavirus may force us to play IPL outside India, says Brijesh Patel

Coronavirus may force us to play IPL outside India, says Brijesh Patel

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Brijesh Patel says Coronavirus may result in IPL outside India | COVID-19 may see Indian Premier League happen overseas | Will IPL happen in 2020?

Brijesh Patel, the chairman of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Governing Council, said that the tournament may move out of India; partially or entirely, and that the organisers have already earmarked the September-October window.

“Right now, we’re saying it’s tentative because finalities of the schedule can only be worked out once official confirmations arrive. Talks are going on with the league’s multiple stakeholders and we’re all on board. So, it’s a matter of time before we start putting things in place,” the senior cricket administrator said.

Patel then echoed BCCI President Ganguly, who earlier this week said that the BCCI are working on all options to ensure the IPL goes ahead this year.

Brijesh Patel says Coronavirus may see IPL outside India | COVID-19 may see Indian Premier League happen overseas | Will IPL happen in 2020?
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is hopeful of IPL taking place in 2020.

The Governing Council are waiting for the ICC’s official announcement to postpone the ICC T20 World Cup, which was scheduled to take place from 18th October to 15th November this year in Australia. The tournament could now be pushed ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the ICC, which was expected to formally announce the decision on 28th May, are now playing the waiting game and have deferred the decision until July.

“We are ready to go ahead with the IPL. But, we can start planning the schedule formally only after the official announcement is made on the T20 World Cup, which I’m expecting will arrive anytime soon. On our part, we’ve already earmarked the September-October window for the tournament to be played,” Patel said in an interview with the Times of India.

Also read: Will the World T20 go ahead? 3 reasons why it might not

Patel, who played 21 Tests for India, also said that there is a chance that the tournament may be played overseas as COVID-19 cases in India are on the rise. “We have to watch how things are going to play out over the next one month from a COVID perspective. We don’t mind shifting the IPL to another country, either in part or in full. There are other aspects to be considered here,” the IPL GC said.

Also read: Concern as Shahid Afridi tests positive to COVID-19

“Suppose we shift just the first leg out of the country, we will have to go through a quarantine when we fly there. But we may probably also have to go through another quarantine when we’re back for the India leg, if COVID doesn’t relent. Or who knows, by October things will be different. Let’s see. Right now, we’re not ruling out the idea of playing the whole tournament overseas,” the former KSCA secretary said.

Foreign boards are eager to host the IPL, with the Emirates Cricket Board (UAE) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) registering their interest, should it not be feasible to host the tournament in India. The UAE has already hosted the IPL; back in 2014, when the tournament was moved overseas due to the general elections in India.

Fans are keen to see the likes of MS Dhoni in action in IPL 2020.

“If the IPL has to begin in September, there’ll be a threat of monsoon. Whatever the case, logistics will have to be worked out carefully. Whether in India or overseas, the tournament won’t be played at more than two or three venues because it’s only for television,” Patel added.

The Indian Cricket Team is expected to travel to Australia in December for the Test series. There will most likely be a quarantine period, which means that the IPL must finish early.

“Also remember, wherever the IPL is played, it’ll be played to empty stands. So, as long as it’s available prime time for Indian fans, it shouldn’t be a problem,” said Patel.

It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the future and whether the overseas countries will readily release their players for the lucrative eight-team tournament.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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Sarthak Karkhanis
Sarthak Karkhanis
Sarthak is a well-established cricket writer and video producer. In addition to writing for CricBlog, Sarthak has worked with Star Sports, ESPNcricinfo, The Quint, and Hotstar.

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