adminThe BCCI and the IPL franchise owners have decided to adopt a wait-and-watch approach over when and how to hold the IPL.
They want to give health and safety of the players and people involved in holding the IPL priority and are likely to discuss its schedule again after two-three weeks, depending on how the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) situation unfolds in India.
The BCCI top brass met top executives of all eight franchises at its headquarters in Mumbai yesterday, including Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani, Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia, among others, after the board had deferred the start of the tournament until April 15. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that now that two weeks of the schedule was lost, there was no option but to hold a “truncated” IPL, and the board would “assess and monitor” the situation in the country on a weekly basis. Whether the IPL will be truncated in terms of days or matches remains to be seen. “If it is [postponed till] April 15, then it in any case 15 days are gone, so it has to be truncated one,” Ganguly said. “How truncated, how many games I can’t say at the moment.”
Wadia said that the BCCI, the franchise owners and host broadcaster Star Sports had decided to prioritise people’s health and that they were not concerned by any monetary downsides.
Wadia even said he was prepared for the possibility of the IPL not happening at all if the situation did not improve.
ESPNcricinfo understands that a few other scheduling options, including a truncated IPL, came up for discussion during the meeting but it was too “premature” to take the discussions forward right now.-Cricinfo
Online Reporter