sb.scorecardresearch

Published 19:53 IST, March 23rd 2020

IPL 2020 happening from first week of May could be possible: BCCI official

IPL 2020: A BCCI official claimed that the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League can go ahead if it begins in the first week of May.

Reported by: Daniel Arambur
Follow: Google News Icon
  • share
IPL
null | Image: self

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that IPL 2020 has been postponed till April 15, 2020, at the very least. However, there is still hope that BCCI will go ahead with the tournament if it is given the green light in the coming weeks. An unnamed official revealed that IPL 2020 will successfully go ahead if it can start in the first week of May 2020.

Also Read | IPL 2020: RR star Jos Buttler leaves fans in splits with Pilates in cricket gear; watch

IPL 2020 postponed

Participation of Australian players unsure amid coronavirus outbreak

Also Read | Sourav Ganguly pays his last respects to PK Banerjee, heaps praise on his positivity

IPL can also be played from the first week of May: BCCI official

In an interview with a reliable Indian publication house, an unnamed BCCI official claimed "The latest we can wait is till the end of April. If the first game isn't played by the first week of May then it will be almost impossible to have the league this year. Even if we have to wait till the end of April to follow all the procedures, we can take a cue from the South Africa edition and conduct the league successfully. If you remember, that was the shortest IPL with 59 games played over 37 days and we can do the same. But certain measures will have to be taken."

Also Read | Amid COVID-19 scare, Sourav Ganguly gets much needed break

In addition to that, the report further stated that government approval is needed to go ahead with the tournament if it does begin in the first week of May. "You cannot travel around the country in such a scenario. If we get the necessary permissions, we will have to stick to a place like Maharashtra where we have three stadiums in Mumbai and a stadium in Pune. I am sure this will then help us ensure that teams not only get fresh wickets to play, but also there is minimal travel involved. But before that, the government must deem it fit to organise tournaments. Public and player safety is the priority as the BCCI President has time and again".

Also Read | Coronavirus pandemic: CSK have valuable advice for fans post IPL 2020 postponement

IPL cancelled: IPL 2020 postponed amid coronavirus outbreak

Also Read | IPL 2020: CSK star Deepak Chahar confident of faster recovery if tournament is postponed

Updated 19:53 IST, March 23rd 2020