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Published 14:03 IST, April 23rd 2020

Jonty Rhodes backs Sourav Ganguly's 'no cricket' stance after IPL 2020 postponement

Jonty Rhodes has been appointed as the new fielding coach of the Kings XI Punjab and was supposed to be with the team for IPL 2020. Here is what he had to say.

Reported by: Mrigank Pandey
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Jonty Rhodes
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South African legend Jonty Rhodes has been involved in the IPL since its initial years and was even supposed to be a part of IPL 2020. Jonty Rhodes was appointed as the fielding coach of the Kings XI Punjab, earlier this year and should have been with the team under normal circumstances. However, the IPL 2020 has currently been postponed by the BCCI in light of the India lockdown. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly recently even said that there will be "no cricket" for now.

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Jonty Rhodes shares his opinion on the IPL 2020 and if foreign players should play

South African legend Jonty Rhodes was in India last month as he played the Road Safety World Series, which was called off in middle of its schedule, due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Jonty Rhodes returned home and lives in Cape Town with his family during the coronavirus lockdown in South Africa. Rhodes recently talked to The Times of India and reflected on how times will change due to the pandemic.

Rhodes explained how he does not want people to take the outbreak as a mere "pause" in their lives, but actually make a change for a newer, safer lifestyle. The South African also predicted that a very different approach to economics will be needed for civilisation to revive itself.

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Talking about the IPL 2020 and the travel restrictions that overseas players might face, Jonty Rhodes insisted that the IPL should be treated just like all other non-essential matters and following health guidelines should be the No.1 priority. Pointing out the travel restrictions Australia already has in place, Rhodes encouraged one to only have faith. The 50-year-old spends time with his family inside his home during the South Africa lockdown.

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BCCI President Sourav Ganguly does not want to risk lives for cricket

Jonty Rhodes' views echoed those of BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly recently spoke to the same publication and said that he is in no hurry to restart cricket in the country. Sourav Ganguly insisted that the situation in the country could not be compared to other countries and he personally does not believe in playing sports when human lives are in danger. Sourav Ganguly's BCCI announced that the IPL has been suspended until further notice.

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Updated 14:03 IST, April 23rd 2020