The ongoing lockdown and restrictions have seen the Indian cricketers being confined to their homes since mid-March. A few players have resumed outdoor training but the majority of centrally-contracted players are yet to hit the field due to the restrictions.
The increasing number of cases in India has also seen the BCCI not being able to organise the camp so far. And now, the spike in the cases threatens to cancel BCCI’s planned training camp for contracted players before IPL 2020.
The present situation could very well see players returning back to action during IPL 2020 only. A final word regarding the camp is likely to be delivered on August 2 and BCCI might be forced to cancel its plans if the country continues to witness high number of cases.
Multiple reports had suggested that Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium was to host the camp but the officials haven’t heard anything from BCCI yet. “There were media reports that camp will start from August 18 and go on till September 4 but we have no formal intimation from the BCCI till now,” a GCA official was quoted as saying.
India has emerged as one of the worst-hit countries with COVID-19 and has witnessed nearly 16 lakh cases. On Wednesday, the country witnessed its highest single-day spike as over 50,000 people tested positive for the infection. It remains to be seen if the BCCI can manage to organise a camp in these tough times.
Team India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari are not part of IPL and will not make a comeback if the BCCI is forced to cancel the camp. Pujara last represented Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2014 while Vihari was released by Delhi Capitals after IPL 2019.
As per the schedule, IPL 2020 will kick off on September 19. The final of the tournament will be played on November 8 or 10.
