IPL spot-fixing petitioner Aditya Verma has urged the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly to conduct the thirteenth season of the T20 League in India and not in UAE. Verma told PTI that he feels UAE is also not safe. It is the pandemic that has forced BCCI to take the decision of shifting the tournament – which was initially slated to start earlier this year from March 29.
The IPL is scheduled to start in the UAE on September 19 and although the BCCI is awaiting approval from the central government, in a letter to Ganguly, Verma pointed out why it must be held in India. While India’s active case count is more than five lakh besides over 36,000 fatalities, Verma still insisted that creating a bio-bubble in a city like Mumbai will be far more easier than having three separate zones in three UAE cities.
“The Dubai Rugby Sevens is a big event in the UAE and they had to postpone it when it was supposed to be held in November. So how can we take IPL to UAE. I have written to Dada (Ganguly) and requested him to have IPL in India,” Verma told PTI.
Verma went on to suggest that the tournament could easily be held in Mumbai.
“They can at least try their best to do it in Mumbai,” Verma suggested.
“We have 60 plus foreigners. If they are not willing to come, we can replace them with Indian players,” the secretary of the unsanctioned Cricket Association of Bihar said.
“An IPL in India would help to uplift the mood of the common public which is already stressed by COVID-19. If we can hold a successful IPL in India in these times, it will be a huge achievement,” he concluded.
