Published 12:30 IST, August 18th 2020
BCCI accused of causing economic losses for holding IPL 2020 in UAE as per Bombay HC plea
The BCCI decided to hold the IPL 2020 in UAE this year due to an increase in number of COVID-19 cases in India. However, a plea has been filed in the Bombay HC.
The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is all set to take place in the United Arab Emirates this year with teams and their players all set to fly to the Gulf nation in next couple of days. However, even before the IPL 2020 could get underway, an advocate has approached the Bombay High Court where he has challenged the decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to hold the IPL 2020 in the UAE instead of India.
IPL 2020: Petition against BCCI at Bombay High Court
According to the report by InsideSport, a Pune-based lawyer Abhishek Lagoo in his plea, has said if the IPL is held outside India, it would cause huge economic and revenue losses to the country. He further said that the IPL is the most popular T20 cricket league and its brand value in 2019 was ₹475 billion and is the main revenue earner for the BCCI.
Also Read: BCCI To Set Up Dubai Office For 3 Months, Officials To Fly On Aug 22 For IPL 2020: Report
The petition further said that though the IPL is not a charity event but holding the IPL 2020 in India would prove to be a great economic booster , hich the country needs desperately with the pandemic having created major problems for all businesses. As per the report, the petition is expected to be heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Revati Mohite Dere on Tuesday.
Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Highlights The Importance Of IPL, Says 'It Should Be Looked At Positively'
BCCI yet to find new IPL sponsors
After ending its deal with VIVO recently, the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI's search for IPL sponsors continues. It is expected that the board will announce the IPL sponsors for the 2020 season on Tuesday itself. BCCI recently ended its partnership with the Chinese company after facing the wrath of citizens across social media platforms amid the anti-China sentiment across the country post the Galwan valley clash with China. According to multiple reports, it is believed that Tata Sons, which has been an IPL official partner over the years, is the favourite to win the rights and the BCCI is expecting to make ₹250-300 crore from the same, as the pandemic has reduced the sponsorship value for this season.
IPL 2020: Here are the new IPL dates
As per the new IPL dates, the tournament is scheduled to start from September 19 with the final taking place on November 10. Coming to the IPL 2020 venues, the matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. The IPL 2020 was earlier scheduled to start on March 29 but the BCCI decided to postpone the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(COVER IMAGE: INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE / TWITTER)
Updated 12:30 IST, August 18th 2020