The postponement of the ICC T20 World Cup has opened up a window for the Indian Premier League to be staged in 2020.
Photo Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
The Board of control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have sought approval from their government to stage the T20 showpiece in the United Arab Emirates.
That approval will be the first hurdle to putting on the event, but it may yet prove more difficult to convince all the contracted overseas stars to take part.
The player’s need to have their safety assured could determine whether the tournament lives up to the expected standard of the IPL.
The sooner the IPL can fix certain key details, the sooner they can convince as many players as possible to get on board. Adequate planning would go a long way towards ensuring that other national boards do not schedule events that might clash with the short format spectacular.
According to the latest reports out of India, the IPL 2020 will be played between 26 September and 8 November in the UAE which has made itself the home of MMA promotion UFC during the pandemic.
The middle-Eastern state hosted a portion of the 2014 IPL due to fears that tensions might flare around cricket matches during national elections in India.
For different players there may be different areas of concern, some will prioritize safety while others might demand a level of freedom, but the BCCI will need to ensure that standards are maintained with all sports that have restarted activity facing intense scrutiny.
It is unclear if the squads will come together in India before travelling to the UAE, either commercially or as some have suggested on chartered flights, or whether they will assemble after an isolation period in the host nation.
If the IPL does not take place, it could cost the BCCI as much as $536 million in revenue from television rights and advertising.
The tournament also gives top internationals a tremendous boost in income with the contracts on offer unmatched in the cricketing world.
An announcement on the staging of the IPL is expected by early August.
Written by James Richardson for Hollywoodbets
