The International Cricket Council (ICC) seems to be undecided over the fate of the T20 World Cup this year but Cricket Australia has once again reiterated that it doesn’t fancy hosting the tournament in 2020 amid the Coronavirus pandemic. CA chairman Carl Eddings has even termed the prospects of hosting the showpiece event this year ‘unrealistic’. That seems to mean good news for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) considering it can now organise the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 around the same window.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc all across the globe, with sporting activities coming to a halt world over. While many events have resumed over the past few weeks, the fate of the T20 World Cup – to be held in October-November this year – has been in focus. As for Cricket Australia, which holds the hosting rights of the tournament, it’s unrealistic to organise the mega event this year, amid the pandemic.
“While it hasn’t been formally called off this year, or postponed, trying to get 16 countries into Australia in the current world, where most countries are still going through COVID spiking, I think it’s unrealistic, or it’s going to be very, very difficult,” CA chairman Eddings said on Tuesday.
The BCCI has been waiting for ICC’s verdict on the fate of the T20 World Cup so that it can plan the schedule of the 13th season of the IPL. Though an official announcement from the ICC is still awaited, the CA’s take on the subject has given the Indian board an opportunity to hold advanced-level talks with all franchises and state associations and take decisive steps towards hosting IPL in the next few months.
India is presently among the worst-affected countries due to the virus and the graph is yet to flatten. As for the IPL, UAE and Sri Lanka are among the countries that have expressed an interest in hosting the tournament. With the BCCI keen to organise the tournament and cut its losses, the tournament could be held outside the country in the September-October or October-November window.
