Planning for full-fledged IPL 2020, most likely in the UAE: Brijesh Patel
IPL Trophy.
After the official postponement of the T20 World Cup 2020, IPL Governing Council is set to meet in a week or 10 days’ time to chalk out the plan for the next course of action with the eye firmly locked at the UAE as hosts this year.
The decision by ICC to postpone the T20 World Cup has cleared a window for IPL 2020 between September and early November. The showpiece event, scheduled to be held in Australia in October-November was postponed on Monday due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The IPL GC will meet within a week or 10 days and all decisions (including final schedule) will be taken there. As of now, the plan is to have a full-fledged IPL comprising 60 games and most likely in the UAE," Patel told PTI.
Patel further said that the operational side of the tournament is going to be a challenge.
"Just the operational side of it. Whether you do it here or outside, it doesn't matter (with no crowds)."
While the franchises had already been working on their plans for the IPL even before the ICC announcement, the majority of players don’t have access to grounds amid the pandemic and will need at least three to four weeks to reach optimum match fitness.
Foreign players will fly in directly to the UAE from their respective countries.
"Our players will need at least three to four weeks of training, if not more. We will finalise all our plans once the BCCI announces the dates. It looks like the IPL will be in the UAE and we are ready for that," a team owner told PTI.
Whereas with the Test series against Australia approaching, specialists Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari, who are not part of the IPL, are likely to train for the much-talked-about series at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad.
More moot points and questions ahead of the IPL GC meeting:
1) More double headers expected (original schedule had only five double headers).
2) BCCI will need to provide a Standard Operating Procedure to IPL teams even though they will have their own SOPs in place.
3) Will the BCCI compensate teams for not being able to generate gate money this year?
4) Will there be virtual commentary from Star Sports? It was seen in the recent 3TC event in South Africa with the likes of Aakash Chopra, Deep Dasgupta and Irfan Pathan commentating from home.
(With inputs from PTI)