The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is waiting anxiously for a final decision from the International Cricket Council (ICC) on the T20 World Cup, because it can then stage the postponed IPL that is worth Rs. 4,000 crore annually in October-November, the only window left this year.
The Indian board’s clout alone may not dictate that decision. The world body has waited for long, even when Australian cricket bosses said hosting 16 teams amid the pandemic would be difficult.
In ICC’s last statement, CEO Manu Sawhney said “we want to give ourselves the best possible opportunity to make the right decision for the whole sport.”
CA will not be able to make revenue from hospitality and at the same time, huge sums will need to be spent in creating a bio-secure bubble. The challenge of flying in the teams and managing their training and stay appears a logistical nightmare. That means the wait for Papua New Guinea, Oman, Netherlands, Namibia and Scotland—they have made it to Round 1—to qualify and compete with the top 12 will get longer.
If ICC does take the tournament off this year’s calendar, it will have to rearrange its World Cup calendar. BCCI wants Australia’s edition, if postponed, slotted in 2022 and leave it to host the T20 World Cup as scheduled in 2021.
“It’s a call ICC has to take. But remember, the 2023 ODI World Cup is also in India. You can’t have back-to-back World Cups in India,” a BCCI official said.
