The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which was scheduled to start from March 29 has been postponed to April 15 due to global COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the situation in the country doesn’t look very promising with the number of coronavirus cases rising rapidly. Hence it seems the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will now have to cancel the event at least for now.
Meanwhile according to media reports, the stakeholders are looking at the September-November window later this year to make the season happen in case the scheduled T20 World Cup gets postponed due to the possible six-month lockdown by the Australian government. Though there is still some time left for the tournament that is set to take place in October-November in Down Under but under present circumstances even its future looks quite bleak.
Reports also suggest that if the T20 World Cup is cancelled this year, it is unlikely to take place before 2022 as India is already hosting another edition of the tournament in 2021.
Meanwhile, if the September-November window gets vacant, the BCCI will try to organise the IPL during that period. According to a report published in the Times of India, a source close to the development said that the IPL 2020 takes precedence whenever the markets open. That’s because the IPL 2020 remains the “elephant in the room” rather than the BCCI forcing it.