Published 12:52 IST, April 16th 2020
IPL 2020 postponement will make Hyderabad Cricket lose ₹3.5 crore: Report
The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium serves as the home ground to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The stadium is run and maintained by the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly informed all IPL franchise owners of the tournament being shelved for the time being. The IPL 2020 was supposed to begin on March 29 but seeing the COVID-19's threat increasing by the day, the BCCI had the IPL postponed to a date beyond April 15. On April 14, the Prime Minister of India then announced an extension of the national lockdown till May 3. It was after this that the BCCI decided to indefinitely call off the IPL 2020.
SRH's home owners Hyderabad Cricket Association to face loss of ₹3.5 crore if IPL 2020 gets cancelled
The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad is run by the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) and the ground is the 'home' of the David Warner-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). As per a report by Sportstar, the BCCI pays ₹50 lakh to the association for every match that it hosts, since a team plays seven matches at home. It can be estimated that the HCA should have been receiving an amount in the ballpark of ₹3.50 crore. A senior HCA official talked to the newspaper and mentioned how the lack of these funds will increase the challenges that the cricket body faces.
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The official confirmed that the association will have to work hard to sustain itself after the pandemic's outbreak eases out. The BCCI also pays ₹40 crore annualy to the associations that are affiliated with it. The HCA official confirmed that this amount arrives but it is split into parts of ₹10 crore, with the next chunk being released only when the association submits audited accounts to the BCCI. The HCA official supported this move as it aided transparency and reduced chances of foul-play.
IPL postponed: IPL 2020 not a complete impossibility
The HCA official sounded optimistic about the future of IPL 2020. The official mentioned how the BCCI has only postponed the tournament and has not cancelled it. This could mean that the BCCI sees a small opportunity of making the tournament a reality after the pandemic gets curbed. Multiple reports are suggesting that the BCCI can look into an October - November window for IPL 2020 if the ICC T20 World Cup gets pushed. SRH won the IPL in 2016 under the captaincy of David Warner.
Updated 12:52 IST, April 16th 2020