IPL 2020 would be preferred by ICC over T20 World Cup, Asia Cup: Ex-Pak batsman Basit Ali

In wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and India lockdown, the 13th season of Indian Premier League (IPL) has been postponed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) until further notice. For that matter, the International Cricket Council (ICC) recently halted all cricketing activities until June as well. With the highly-anticipated ICC T20 World Cup to be played in Australia between October and November this year, the tournament is also likely to be postponed or cancelled if the situation fails to improve.

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IPL 2020 could be shifted to UAE: Basit Ali

Ever since the IPL 2020 got postponed, there have been several speculations that the BCCI is looking for a new window to host the tournament. Multiple media reports suggest that if the T20 World Cup in Australia also gets postponed, the BCCI is likely to use the same window to stage the much-awaited IPL 2020, albeit without crowds. As of now, the T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played between October 18 and November 15 across seven different Australian venues.

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According to former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali, ICC is likely to prioritise IPL in favour of international tournaments like T20 World Cup and Asia Cup, i.e. in case there is a clash of events. While speaking with Cricket Pakistan, Basit Ali said that the BCCI generates 70 percent revenue for the ICC despite their differences off late. This fact could well prompt the ICC to allow the BCCI to hold the IPL 2020 that too in the UAE in its new window, if the condition in India fails to improve from coronavirus crisis over time.

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The IPL 2020 was originally intended to commence on March 29 with a match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. In spite of several reports indicating that BCCI is looking for an alternate window for IPL 2020, the Indian board have denied such speculations by saying that they are not thinking too far ahead at the moment.

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