IPL 2020 dates may prompt CSK owner N Srinivasan to cancel TNPL 2020: Report

The Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season is set to commence on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After months of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently came up with a launch date and a venue for the much-awaited tournament. While IPL 2020 is set to entirely shift out of India, the upcoming Tamil Nadu Premier League 2020 (TNPL 2020) season is unlikely to go ahead as planned due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.

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TNPL 2020 likely to be cancelled this year

The TNPL 2020 season was originally intended to be played between June 10 and July 12. In the wake of the health crisis, the Tamil Nadu State Cricket Association decided to postpone the tournament with the intention of organising it during the August-September window. However, several of TNPL 2020 top cricketers like Ravichandran Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay among others will be in UAE at the time for their IPL 2020 commitments. Apart from the absence of several players, TNPL 2020 is also impacted by the rising number of positive coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu, with recent figures pegging the tally at above 240,000.

N Srinivasan, owner of the popular IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), is likely to cancel the TNPL 2020 season in wake of the aforementioned factors. N Srinivasan launched the TNPL event in 2016 when he was the President of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). The tournament was initiated with an intention of exposing talented cricketers from several Tamil Nadu districts at a time when CSK were in the middle of their two-year suspension.

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IPL 2020 schedule announcement date

The IPL 2020 schedule is expected to be announced on Sunday, August 2 through a teleconference meeting. The meeting will be held between IPL 2020's Governing Council and the BCCI members. The meeting is also expected to put forth several biosecurity measures which will be mandatory for all players to follow at the newly-decided venue.

IPL 2020 will also mark the return of former Indian captain MS Dhoni on the field. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has been on a sabbatical since July 2019. His return to the game through IPL 2020 as CSK captain remains one of the most talked-about aspects of the tournament. MS Dhoni’s high-profile return to the field is expected to generate much interest and viewership from his fans.

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Image credit: BCCI Twitter