After Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirate and New Zealand offered to host the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said that it will look at all measures to hold the tournament in India before considering going abroad, a Reuters report said.
BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal confirmed that staging the IPL abroad will be the last option if there is no other way to hold the T20 tournament this year in India.
“We’ve to consider India first and then think of overseas. They have sent these proposals in case we want to organise it there. We will discuss it in the next IPL governing council meeting where we will take a call,” said Dhumal.
Sri Lanka and the UAE had initially offered to host the IPL this year if India is unable to organise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New Zealand also recently threw its hat in the ring and offered to host the tournament.
The 2020 IPL was originally scheduled to be held from March 29 before it was indefinitely postponed as all sports activities were suspended in view of the pandemic.
Previously, the IPL was staged outside India only twice due to the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014, when it was held in South Africa and the UAE respectively.
Dhumal also addressed the uncertainty around the T20 World Cup which was scheduled to be held later this year. With the possibility of holding the IPL in the October-November window, the BCCI is waiting for the International Cricket Council to decide the fate of the ICC tournament. However, Dhumal said that the delay in ICC’s part has created a “scheduling headache” for boards trying to recover losses caused by the pandemic.
“Everybody is under the pressure because of the uncertainty,” Dhumal said.
If the BCCI is unable to host the IPL this year, it is looking at a financial loss of approximately Rs 4,000 crore.
(With inputs from agencies)
