Published 11:29 IST, July 7th 2020
Sourav Ganguly hints at IPL 2020 taking place outside India due to COVID-19 situation
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has hinted at the possibility of IPL 2020 being conducted outside India while talking to Mayank Agarwal on his show.
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Cricketing action all over the world has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic which has caused problems galore for broadcasters, as well as, administrators. The Indian Premier League (IPL 2020), which was one of the most anticipated tournaments of the year, also suffered at the hands of the deadly virus as it was postponed indefinitely by the BCCI.
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Now, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has hinted at the possibility of IPL 2020 being conducted outside India. On Sunday, Sourav Ganguly opined that the country will have to bear with the COVID-19 pandemic at least till the end of this year or beginning of 2021. This statement by Sourav Ganguly effectively rules out India's chances of organising the cricketing extravaganza at home.
Sourav Ganguly was in conversation with India's test opener Mayank Agarwal on his show #DadaOpensWithMayank. While responding to a question on how he looks at the COVID-19 situation in India, Sourav Ganguly said he thinks the next two-three-four months will be a little tough. He added that people will just have to bear it and by the end of the year or beginning of next year, life should be back to normal once a COVID-19 vaccine develops.
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The BCCI is currently looking for a window to host the event. Their decision largely depends on the ICC’s call regarding the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to start mid-October. As far as the IPL 2020 goes, chances of the tournament being organized in India look bleak as the country has risen to third in coronavirus affected cases behind Brazil and the United States of America (USA).
On Monday, New Zealand offered to host IPL was received by the BCCI. New Zealand became the latest country after UAE and Sri Lanka to show their interest in hosting IPL 2020 in case the cash-rich league can't be held in India due to rising cases of coronavirus. Speaking on the show #DadaOpensWithMayank, Sourav Ganguly said that he will wait for the vaccine to come out. He added that we will have to be a little more careful until then. Till then, the ICC's saliva ban makes sense for the BCCI President.
The coronavirus pandemic may have changed the world forever. However, Sourav Ganguly had an interesting comparison to make. The former India captain compared the fast-evolving situation with batting tactics which helps a batsman to play according to the pitches. Speaking about the same, Sourav Ganguly said that it's like batting tactic, it's not same on all pitches, you play differently on slower pitches, you play differently when it turns and you play differently when it is flat. He reckoned so COVID-19 is at that stage, the stage of recovery. However, Ganguly was hopeful that by the end of this year, things should be fine.
IMAGE COURTESY: SOURAV GANGULY TWITTER
11:29 IST, July 7th 2020