IPL: Governing Council set to discuss tournament's schedule
The Indian Premier League Governing Council will hold a meeting to discuss the schedule of the tournament. Chairman Brijesh Patel, on Tuesday, confirmed the meeting could take place in the upcoming two weeks. He has also said the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) will seek the permission of the government if it can go ahead with the 2020 edition of IPL.
The meeting will take place in 7-10 days: Patel
"The governing council meeting is expected in 7-10 days time. There will be discussions on the scheduling of the tournament and we will also look at the operational aspect," Patel told ANI.
The United Arab Emirates could host the IPL
Following the recently concluded Apex Council meeting, it was decided that BCCI will take permission from the Government for staging IPL in India. However, if the COVID-19 cases soar in the upcoming months, the tournament could be shifted to UAE. This will be subject to approval by the government. The tournament was scheduled to begin in March, but the pandemic led to its postponement.
'The approval of Government is mandatory', says Patel
Speaking on the hosts, Patel added the decision will depend upon the government and the situation of the pandemic. "We will continue to look at the coronavirus situation till September then we will decide whether we host the tournament in India or UAE. We have to take the permission of the government as it is mandatory," he added.
IPL likely to commence in September
The International Cricket Council, on Monday, officially postponed the Men's T20 World Cup to 2021. The multilateral tournament, which was due to be played in Australia this year, will now be rescheduled to either 2021 or 2022. Meanwhile, the decision has given a boost to IPL as the October-November window remains vacant. Reportedly, the cash-rich league could run from September 26 to November 7.
BCCI plans to mow down domestic season
Looking at the possibility of IPL, the BCCI earlier decided to call-off several domestic tournaments in the nation. These tournaments include Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and CK Nayudu U-23 Trophy. Meanwhile, Ranji Trophy and the Under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy are the only tournaments that could take place. However, the official schedule is yet to be chalked out.
