Not just the sports world but the entire nation has come to a standstill amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Clouds of doubt have been hovering over the organization of the cash-rich tournament, the Indian T20 League during the coronavirus pandemic. However, a recent statement released by an official BCCI source has brought a sigh of relief for the fans of the tournament.
As per the statement of the official, the 13th edition of the Indian T20 League can still be organized even if the first match of the tournament is played in the first week of May. The official said while it is difficult to predict the fate of the tournament it can still be conducted if started by the first week of May.
“The latest we can wait is till the end of April. If the first game isn’t played by the first week of May then it will be almost impossible to have the league this year. Even if we have to wait till end of April to follow all the procedures, we can take a cue from the South Africa edition and conduct the league successfully. If you remember, that was the shortest IPL with 59 games played over 37 days and we can do the same. But certain measures will have to be taken,” the official said.
“You cannot travel around the country in such a scenario. If we get the necessary permissions, we will have to stick to a place like Maharashtra where we have three stadiums in Mumbai and a stadium in Pune. I am sure this will then help us ensure that teams not only get fresh wickets to play, but also there is minimal travel involved. But before that, the government must deem it fit to organise tournaments. Public and player safety is the priority as the BCCI President has time and again said,” the official said while talking about required measures to be taken in order to organize the league.
The Sports Ministry has announced that the organization of Indian T20 League can be vividly discussed only after the government comes out with fresh advisory after April 15.
