IPL chairman ridicules ICC for delaying long overdue T20 World Cup decision

Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel has hit back at International Cricket Council (ICC) over their delay in the decision to postpone the T20 World Cup in Australia. The T20 World Cup was scheduled to take place later this year. However, in the latest ICC meeting on Monday, it was decided to postpone the tournament until 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2020 Postponed Amid COVID Crisis, ICC Reveals New Window; Check Here

T20 World Cup postponed: IPL chairman Brijesh Patel comments after ICC meeting

While talking to The Indian Express, IPL chairman Brijesh Patel said after the ICC meeting that he has no idea why the ICC delayed the decision to postpone the T20 World Cup. He said that the ICC should have called off the World Cup much earlier and also given all the boards enough time to make their own plans and schedules. He said that BCCI could have planned the IPL much earlier. The current edition of IPL was scheduled for March 29 start but the tournament was postponed due to COVID-19.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Hints At IPL 2020 Taking Place Outside India Due To COVID-19 Situation

Following the ICC meeting on Monday, the current edition of the T20 World Cup was back pushed to October-November 2021 due to COVID-19. Apart from postponing this year's edition, the ICC decided to push the T20 World Cup 2021 to October – November 2022 with the final on 13 November 2022

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Highlights The Importance Of IPL, Says 'It Should Be Looked At Positively'

After ICC's decision to postpone the tournament until next year, the IPL Governing Council has convened an emergency meeting on Friday to decide the course of the cash-rich tournament. A member of the Governing Council has confirmed to Republic Media Network that the 2020 edition is likely to be shortened to 6 weeks and will be played between October and November mostly in the UAE.

Also Read: BCCI Seeks Modi Government's Nod To Hold IPL 2020 Between September & November In UAE

BCCI looking to take IPL to UAE

Brijesh Patel, while speaking to Republic TV, has said that the BCCI has written to the central government, seeking its permission to hold the IPL in the UAE between end of September and the first week of November. Recently, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, during his chat with Team India cricketer Mayank Agarwal, also hinted at the possibility of IPL 2020 being conducted outside India. While UAE has emerged as a likely venue for the 13th edition of the IPL, reports have also suggested that the board has considered Mumbai and Pune as an alternative venue to stage the entire league considering the infrastructure. 

While speaking to a news channel, Sourav Ganguly said that the IPL is not only important for India but also for the rest of the world as it is not just India but other boards that gain from it as well. Dada then added that the BCCI distributes 10-20% of the income from the tournament among all the boards and so, it is not just BCCI taking every penny or every pie of whatever, but it is also shared as well.

(COVER IMAGE: ICC / TWITTER)