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CPL to host entire tournament in T&T: Players to take pay cuts

Sarthak Karkhanis
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CPL to host entire tournament in T&T: Players to take pay cuts

CPL to host entire tournament in T&T: Players to take pay cuts | West Indies Cricket plan to stage CPL 2020 in Trinidad and Tobago

In the aftermath COVID-19, the Carribean Premier League (CPL) organisers are expected to stage the tournament entirely in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is country which has handled the coronavirus pandemic most efficiently in the Carribean, with only 117 positive cases reported till date.

The tournament is slated to be hosted from 18th August to 10th September with the players expected to arrive on August 1 in Trinidad and Tobago in order to undergo the quarantine period directed by the Trinidad and Tobago government.

Michael Hall, the operations manager of the CPL wrote a letter to the various stakeholders of the tournament, as reported by ESPNCricInfo.

“We have taken the decision to stage the tournament (subject to final approval from the government of Trinidad & Tobago, which we expect next week). I can advise that the tournament period will be from August 1 to September 12, with the first matches on August 18 and the final on September 10.

Should the tournament take place, it will take place entirely in Trinidad & Tobago, which is the most successful country in the Caribbean in controlling the spread of the virus – recording just one new case since April 30 and just 117 total cases overall,” Hall wrote.

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The tournament will be played behind closed doors and the teams will be staying in a hotel which is supervised by the medical team of the tournament.

“One of the consequences the COVID-19 pandemic will have is that the CPL will be played behind closed doors in 2020. We were therefore faced with the very difficult decision of whether to play the tournament at all. [But] we also felt strongly that it is important for cricket to be seen to be getting underway again as well as to show the world that the Caribbean is open for business,” he added.

Compared to the previous edition, the players and match officials are expected to take a 30% pay cut. However, players below $20,000 will not be affected by the same.

“We accept we are asking players to give up a portion of their salary,” Hall added. However without such a gesture it will be impossible to run the tournament, so we need to be clear that non-acceptance of the proposed reductions will result in your clients already under contract being replaced, or if not already contracted, being removed from the draft list.”

To complete the tournament in the 23-day duration, there will be double headers on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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India can’t call themselves World Champions unless they prove it – Gambhir

Sarthak Karkhanis
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India can’t call themselves World Champions unless they prove it – Gambhir

India can’t call themselves World Champions unless they prove it – Gambhir | Gautam Gambhir accuses India of lacking mental toughness

Two-time World Champion Gautam Gambhir claimed that Indian players lacked mental toughness to handle pressure in big matches. He also said that India can’t call themselves World Champions unless they prove it on the cricket field.

“If you look at all the semi-finals and finals, it just shows when playing really well in the league stage and you don’t play well in the semi-finals or knockouts, it’s probably your mental toughness as well,” the 38-year old said.

Also read: BCCI working on all options to stage IPL in 2020

Gambhir, who was a vital cog in the Indian sides which won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and 50 over World Cup in 2011, said that the teams can afford to make a mistake in bilateral series. But, if you make a mistake in knockout stages, you are knocked out of the tournament.

“It’s just your ability in those crunch situations. In bilaterals and league stages, you have got probably a chance to make the mistake. Come to knockout stages, you don’t have a chance to do that.

You make a mistake and you’re going back home. That’s where beliefs come into play and that where India lacks in all those crucial games.”

Also read: BCCI and IPL open to having IPL 2020 outside India

He also said that the best players in the team prove themselves in crunch situations.

Gautam Gambhir often stepped up in big games for India.

“What sets you apart from being a good player to being a very very good player in a team squad is what you do on those crucial games. I think probably we have not been able to handle the pressure; probably other teams have been able to handle the pressure that way,” Gambhir said on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.

“We can keep talking that we’ve got everything, we have the ability to be the world champions, but till the time you don’t go on the cricket field and prove that, you will never be called the world champions,” the 38-year-old said.

The Indian Cricket team last won an ICC tournament back in 2013 when they clinched the ICC Champions Trophy in England.

But, since then, they have made it at least to the Semi Final of every World event, but have faltered in the knockout stages. They lost in the Final of WT20 2014 and Champions Trophy 2017, while they were out in the Semi Final in World Cups 2015 and 2019, as well as the WT20 2016.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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PCB offer to swap Asia Cup hosting rights with SLC – report

Sarthak Karkhanis
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PCB offer to swap Asia Cup hosting rights with SLC – report

PCB offer to swap Asia Cup hosting rights with SLC | Who will host the 2020 Asian tournament? | Will Sri Lanka host the 2020 Asia Cup?

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which was originally slated to host the 2020 Asia Cup, has swapped the hosting rights of the mega event with the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Sri Lanka, originally slated to host the tournament in 2022, has now handed over the rights of that tournament to Pakistan.

The Asian Cricket Council is expected to approve the decision later this month and also decide the future of this year’s edition.

Among the countries which can potentially host the Asia Cup, only the island nation has controlled the coronavirus pandemic efficiently with only 1.9K cases of COVID-19 reported as of 13th June 2020.

Also read: BCCI open to having the IPL outside India

Sri Lanka last hosted the Asia Cup way back in 2010 and will relish the opportunity to host a six-nation tournament if the event goes ahead in September. There are clouds over the future of this year’s edition, which was considered as the appetiser for the lucrative ICC T20 World Cup.

Also, hosting a multinational tournament will require more medical arrangement with SOPs in place as cricket will resume post the enforced COVID-19 break.

Earlier, the Indian Cricket team cancelled its tour of 3 ODIs and as many T20Is to Sri Lanka as both the boards decided against having the tour. The Bangladesh Cricket team is expected to travel to Sri Lanka in July. 

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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

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

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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Australia set to have cricket in front of fans

Sarthak Karkhanis
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Australia set to have cricket in front of fans

Australia set to have cricket in front of fans | Australia on track to welcome fans back to stadiums after COVID-19 restrictions | Will World T20 go ahead?

The Australian government is set to allow up to 10,000 spectators in stadiums for sporting events in July. This may boost the chances of having the ICC T20 World Cup down under later this year, after original doubts.

Along with this, the South Australia and Queensland governments have said that they will reopen their borders in July, as there are positive signs of competitive sport, including cricket, making a comeback down under with domestic travel restrictions easing.

At the moment, the permission to allow 10,000 spectators for a sporting event is applicable only to venues having a capacity of less than 40,000 spectators. As a result, this excludes the big stadiums like Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Adelaide Oval, Gabba, and Perth.

But, the likes Hobart, Gold Coast, and the WACA are available, and could get a chance to host international cricket.

Australia set to have cricket in front of fans | Australia on track to welcome fans back to stadiums after COVID-19 restrictions | Will World T20 go ahead?
MCG won’t be eligible to host 10,000 fans just yet.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave the details in an interview with ESPNCricinfo.

“This is going to be looked at over the next few weeks. For the larger ones [venues] I would venture that it would be the subject of a discrete approval for each venue that would be worked out with the Chief Health Officer in each state or territory,” the Australian Prime Minister said.

Morrison said that the decision of staging the ICC T20 World Cup will take time as it means including 15 nations touring Australia. However, with crowd getting into the picture, it will be interesting to see whether the fans are allowed to be at Ground Zero for the Big Bash and the Test series vs India at the back end of this year.

Also read: The drastic changes that the BBL are looking to make to cricket

“So by the time you get into July there may be that type of opportunity for the rules that apply to those under 40,000 carry over to those above 40,000. These will be practical, commonsense issues, work through by the medical expert panel over the next few weeks and I think they will give a great instruction.”

This news comes as New Zealand opened their stadiums to fans, after they announced they are COVID-free.

Australia set to have cricket in front of fans | Australia on track to welcome fans back to stadiums after COVID-19 restrictions | Will World T20 go ahead?

Earlier this month, Cricket Australia announced a full fixture list for the 2020-21 season and the first match of the men’s team was against ZImbabwe. But as things stand, the women’s team will kick-off the home season for Australia with a series against New Zealand in late September.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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Shahid Afridi Tests Positive to COVID-19

Sarthak Karkhanis
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Shahid Afridi Tests Positive to COVID-19

Shahid Afridi Tests Positive to COVID-19 | Afridi announces that he has tested positive to the coronavirus

Former Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement came via Afridi’s official Twitter handle.

The cricketer tweeted, “I’ve been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. I’ve been tested and unfortunately I’m covid positive. Need prayers for a speedy recovery, InshaAllah”

Last month, Shahid Afridi bought Mushfiqur Rahim’s bat to raise funds for the poor and needy people in Bangladesh. The ICC praised Afridi’s efforts to help the needy, via Twitter.

They tweeted, “Mushfiqur Rahim has found a buyer! Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has joined the good cause, picking up the bat on behalf of his charity foundation,” as the bat was bought by the Pakistan cricketer for $20,000.

Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh also appealed to people to donate funds to Afridi’s foundation, but it didn’t go down well with the Indian Twitterati.

The former allrounder is the third Pakistani cricketer after Taufiq Umar and Zafar Sarafraz to test positive for the coronavirus pandemic, while Scotland’s Majid Haq and South African domestic player Solo Nqweni are the other players to have tested positive for Covid-19.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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Pakistan name Haider Ali & Sarfaraz Ahmed in 29-man squad for England tour

Sarthak Karkhanis
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Pakistan name Haider Ali & Sarfaraz Ahmed in 29-man squad for England tour

Pakistan name Haider Ali & Sarfaraz Ahmed in 29-man squad for England tour | Highly-rated Haider Ali picked in Pakistan squad for tour of England

The Pakistan cricket team named a huge squad for the upcoming tour of England, consisting of 29 players which will play three Tests and as many T20Is.

The team will be led by Babar Azam in the shortest format and by Azhar Ali in the Tests. The entire squad will stay together for the full duration of the series, due to the quarantine periods and Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to be followed as cricket comes back after the COVID-19 break.

Fast bowler Sohail Khan has been included in the Test squad after a gap of four years. His last appearance in red ball internationals came way back in 2016, during the England tour. Khan picked 22 wickets in nine matches in the Quaid-E-Azam trophy, but the statistics don’t entirely reflect the quality of his performance.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the head coach and selector of Pakistan confirmed this, starting “The selectors also felt he bowled much better in the 2019-20 domestic season than his figures reflected.”

Also read: India’s tour of Sri Lanka officially postponed, but SLC propose ideal period for series

Haider Ali, who was impressive in the ICC U-19 World Cup earlier this year, gets his debut call-up as the 19 year old is fast tracked into the senior side. While plying his trade for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League soon after the World Cup, he scored 239 runs at a strike rate of 159. In his inaugural First Class season, Haider scored 645 runs in the Quaid E Azam trophy at an average close to 50.

“The players have also been selected with one eye on the future. I want these players to acquire as much cricket knowledge as possible from the additional backroom staff of Mushtaq Ahmed and Younis Khan that can help them post the England tour,” said Misbah, the former Pakistan captain.

Mushtaq Ahmed and Younis Khan have been named as spin bowling consultant and batting coach for the England tour.

“The selectors have picked a squad which gives us the best chance of success in England,” Misbah said. “It was a challenging process as the players have not played for an extended period of time, but nevertheless, with the month that we will have in England and the intense training we will undergo, we are confident we will get the players up to the mark to be ready for the three Tests.

Pakistan name Haider Ali & Sarfaraz Ahmed in 29-man squad for England tour | Highly-rated Haider Ali picked in Pakistan squad for tour of England
Coach Misbah-ul-Haq is focusing on Test cricket.

The squad also includes the likes of Kashif Bhatti, Fawad Alam and the regulars. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been included as the back keeper to Mohammad Rizwan in the squad. Four players, namely Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz are added as cover if any of the members fail COVID-19 testing.

Also read: The drastic changes that the BBL are looking to make to cricket

“Our second-best option is still Sarfaraz and this is why we have kept him as back-up for this lengthy tour. He was dropped because of poor form but the cricket he has played afterwards, the pressure has been eased now. He had an added pressure on him as captain but Sarfaraz has a good record in England as keeper. With a lengthy tour and the 29-man squad, we needed two keepers, with Rizwan already playing.

We always judge them in terms of runs, which isn’t actually the way to go. In England, keeping isn’t easy at all and when you pick a player, we look for many aspects and at this very important tour you can’t really take a chance on a younger player. It’s relatively easy to try out younger options at home but on overseas tours, you must have a solid option on the bench.”

Pakistan is the second team to tour England after West Indies, who have already landed in England and are due to play three Tests. Misbah reiterated that the focus will remain on the Tests which are part of the World Test Championship.

“The main focus of the selectors has been red-ball cricket, which we will play for nearly two months with the T20Is to be played at the back-end of the ICC World Test Championship fixtures.”

Misbah said that they have to train hard as the players haven’t played any competitive cricket since March. 

“The series against England will be challenging as our players have not played any competitive cricket since March, while the home team will come following a series against the West Indies. This means we will have to hit the ground running as soon as we land in England and make the best use of the training sessions and match practice before we enter the first Test.”

Earlier, Mohammad Amir and Haris Sohail pulled out of the tour citing personal reasons.

Squad: Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (Test vice-captain and T20I captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan, and Yasir Shah

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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3 Mistakes to Avoid on Dream11

Robin Rounder
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3 Mistakes to Avoid on Dream11

3 Mistakes to Avoid on Dream11 | Dream11 Winning Tips | How to increase your chances of winning in Dream11 Fantasy Cricket

Fantasy sports is a very interesting place. It feels great when your prediction is correct, with the rewards an added bonus. Millions of people play it every day, and one can be very successful if they avoid a few common mistakes that most fantasy players make.

These mistakes result in loss of hard-earned money, so it’s important to keep these tips in mind. Here, we are going to talk about three key mistakes you should avoid in fantasy sports that will improve you as a fantasy player. They might not guarantee that you win, but it certainly increases your chances of doing so, while losing less.

Also read: Dream11 and fantasy cricket content on CricBlog:

1. Playing Every Match

This is the most common mistake fantasy players make. In the attempt to earn as much as possible, they tend to play every match, regardless of whether they have any knowledge about that match or not. They either:

  • Create a team on their own without any knowledge of the match and the players; or
  • Follow someone’s team blindly.

Most of the time, they end up losing their money. 

Playing without proper research is a key reason why people end up losing. So, be sure to undertake proper research about the players, tournament, ground, records and conditions before playing any match. In the end, you want to make sure you’re fully confident about your team.

CricBlog’s Match Previews can certainly help, with key players and stats included in every preview.

3 Mistakes to Avoid on Dream11 | Dream11 Winning Tips | How to increase your chances of winning in Dream11 Fantasy Cricket
Deadlines have moved to the match start time, so do your research!

2. Going All In at Once

After winning one or two matches, many players then invest all their winnings in a single match. This is very risky and never recommended.

One should keep in mind that no one can win every match, every day. So, if you have invested all your winnings in a single match, you will most probably lose all your money in a snap, and there’s nothing you can do except regret your decision

It is recommended that you fix an amount from your capital and invest only that much whether you win or lose. This way, by making an investment plan, you can avoid losing unnecessarily and it will be very beneficial in the long run.

And still, if you’re not able to control yourself, there’s a suspend account option in Dream11, whereby one can suspend their account for a certain period of time. So. use this feature when you win 2-3 games continuously to save your money. After all, “a penny saved is a penny earned”.

3 Mistakes to Avoid on Dream11 | Dream11 Winning Tips | How to increase your chances of winning in Dream11 Fantasy Cricket
Be sure to invest wisely.

3. Playing Only for the Money

If you’re playing fantasy sports just to earn money, then I recommend you immediately stop playing and never play again as this is not the right place for someone with that mindset. One should play fantasy sports passionately for fun as a fan of the game they love, not as a career option.

It’s very unpredictable and one can lose all their earnings in a blink of an eye. It is advised that one should invest only that much which you can afford, as it’s impossible to win every time. It’s a place to showcase your skills and knowledge about your favorite sport.

So, these are three mistakes one should avoid on Dream11 or any other fantasy platform, to become a good fantasy player in the long run.

Thanks for reading!

Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.

Also read: Dream11 and fantasy cricket content on CricBlog:

India’s tour of Sri Lanka officially postponed

Sarthak Karkhanis
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India’s tour of Sri Lanka officially postponed

India’s tour of Sri Lanka officially postponed | BCCI and SLC agree to postpone India’s limited overs tour | India tour won’t go ahead as planned

India’s tour of Sri Lanka, which was scheduled for June and July, has officially been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed the news through a media release. “The India National Team Tour of Sri Lanka, which was scheduled to take place during the month of June, 2020 will not go ahead, as scheduled,” stated an SLC media release.

Both the boards decided against having the tour in June due to the health risk involved in it.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that, due to the prevailing circumstances revolving around the COVID-19 pandemic, the cricket series, which included 3 ODIs and 3 T20I matches will not be feasible.”

The tour, which was a part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP), consisted of 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. The BCCI and SLC will now plan to have the tour at a later date; likely to be in August.

Also read: BCCI will do everything possible to ensure IPL 2020 goes ahead, says Sourav Ganguly

What does this mean for Bangladesh’s tour?

The Bangladesh Cricket Team is expected to tour Sri Lanka in July. If it goes ahead as planned, then Sri Lanka can stage the high-profile series against India. However, the tour will be subject to government clearance from both the countries.

“Although BCCI remains committed to the FTP and towards its fellow members, it will have to seek the advice from Government of India and the health regulatory authorities before taking any decision for the resumption of Cricket,” the BCCI conveyed to SLC.”

The BCCI are hopeful of staging the IPL in the September-November window. However, the tour to Sri Lanka is expected to be the first assignment of the national team post the enforced COVID-19 break.

Sri Lanka are also interested in hosting the IPL 2020 if the situation in India doesn’t allow to host the lucrative tournament.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter.

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BCCI working on all options to stage IPL this year: Ganguly

Sarthak Karkhanis
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BCCI working on all options to stage IPL this year: Ganguly

BCCI working on all options to stage IPL this year | Will IPL 2020 go ahead? | When will IPL 2020 happen? | BCCI working on plan to stage IPL

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday wrote a letter to all the state associations that the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) is willing to stage the tournament behind closed doors due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The board’s preparations to host the IPL in the September-November window is hindered by the ICC’s waiting game to decide the future of the T20 World Cup. The ICC T20 World Cup was scheduled to take place from 18th October till 15th November in Australia later this year, but there was no decision in the ICC Board meeting which took place on Wednesday (10th June).

BCCI working on all options to stage IPL this year | Will IPL 2020 go ahead? | When will IPL 2020 happen? | BCCI working on plan to stage IPL
BCCI is hopeful the IPL can take place in 2020.

Ganguly’s letter

Ganguly’s letter read, “The BCCI is working on all possible options to ensure that we are able to stage IPL this year, even if it means playing the tournament in empty stadiums. The fans, franchises, players, broadcasters, sponsors and all other stakeholders are keenly looking forward to the possibility of IPL being hosted this year.”

The Indian Premier League was earlier scheduled to start on 29th March and the final was on 24th May 2020. However, it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, which enforced a national lockdown in India. The BCCI is speculated to lose Rs 4000 crores from the lucrative media rights deal if the 13th edition of the IPL is cancelled, but the President said that the board is optimistic that the tournament will be played.

“Recently, a lot of players both from India and other countries, participating in the IPL have shown keenness on being part of this year’s IPL. We are optimistic and the BCCI will shortly decide on the future course of action on this,” the former Indian captain added.

BCCI working on all options to stage IPL this year | Will IPL 2020 go ahead? | When will IPL 2020 happen? | BCCI working on plan to stage IPL

The Board President also wrote that they are preparing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to be followed by the state associations for the resumptions of the sport in the country. The BCCI office bearers are yet to approve the SOPs.

Also read:

“Essentially this SOP is being made with a view of providing our Members with a standard set of guidelines which will help the Associations to resume cricket in their respective areas. The BCCI has engaged medical specialists for the drafting of this SOP.”

Ganguly addressed the topic of the Indian domestic season in the letter. The details of the same will be addressed over the next fortnight. “Moving ahead, the BCCI is in the process of planning the domestic competitions for the next cricketing season. We are working on various formats and options in our endeavour to ensure that various domestic tournaments are held, they stay competitive and participation is feasible. The BCCI will come up with more details on this front over the next couple of weeks,”the letter further reads.

However, there is no clarity when the Indian team will return to action. The Virat Kohli led side was last seen in action during the New Zealand tour where they were whitewashed 2-0 by the Kiwis.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter.

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