IPL 2020 taking place outside India possible but 'last option' for us: BCCI official

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly discussing ways to conduct the much-awaited Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season amid the global coronavirus pandemic. The IPL 2020 was originally intended to launch on March 29 with a match between defending champions Mumbai Indians and 2019 runners-up Chennai Super Kings. However, the ongoing coronavirus crisis and its contagious nature continues to impact worldwide cricketing activities.

Also Read | Ben Stokes Turns 29: Indian Fans Mention Virat Kohli In Birthday Wishes For All-rounder

BCCI considering options for staging IPL 2020: Reports

As per ANI, a BCCI official recently stated that the board is currently looking at all options to save IPL 2020. The official also stated that shifting the tournament out of the country is also a possibility this year. However, the source also informed that taking the event outside India will be BCCI’s last resort. The official cited the example of IPL 2009 (in South Africa) and IPL 2014 (in UAE) by saying that the tournament has been staged outside of India before.

IPL 2020 and fate of T20 World Cup

The IPL 2020 is not the only mercurial T20 event of 2020 to be impacted by the coronavirus scare. The T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Australia later this year, is also clouded with much uncertainty at the moment. The T20 World Cup is being slated to run from October 18 and November 15. However, ongoing travel restrictions imposed by the Australian government have led to numerous discussions between Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the future of the tournament.

Also Read | IPL Postponed: Virat Kohli Claims IPL 2020 Will Take Place This Year In Dubai: Ex-India Pacer Atul Wassan

It has also been reported that should the T20 World Cup from Australia gets shifted to 2021, the BCCI might use the same two-month window to stage their very own lucrative IPL 2020 event. While nothing has been finalised yet, the BCCI official stated that they will wait for the apex body to get clarity over the T20 World Cup, before the Indian board could make any IPL 2020 related decision. Another thing to be noted is that there is a high possibility about the IPL 2020 season to be staged behind closed doors, irrespective of the hosting nation.   

Recently, according to ex-Indian pacer Atul Wassan in a recent interview with a leading publication, Indian captain Virat Kohli told him that the IPL 2020 will mostly be played in Dubai this year around September.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the IPL 2020 was dubbed by many cricketing experts and fans as a perfect preparation campaign for players before the T20 World Cup. Many high-profile overseas cricketers, along with Indian stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul were all slated to represent their respective franchises.

Also Read | BCCI Disappointed With Virat Kohli For Publicly Criticizing New Zealand Tour Schedule

Also Read | Virat Kohli Talks About IPL Postponed; Says 'Optimistic That It Will Be Played At Some Stage'