With the rest of the world facing the dilemma of choosing between starting to live life normally or continuing to fear the global pandemic, the question turns to the fate of sporting events such as the IPL. Previously, the BCCI had announced the beginning of IPL13 by the end of March 2020 that would be played between the finalists Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. However, the 13th session of IPL or the '2020 Indian Premier League' which was supposed to be held in the month of March or April had been indefinitely suspended just like any other sport around the world.
IPL is one of the world's most-attended cricket leagues in the world and it attracts the best of both international and domestic cricketers. This means that it is also worth $530 million to the BCCI and contributes largely to the country's GDP. As the whole country continues to observe precautionary measures, the IPL may likely to take place during October or November 2020. There is complete mayhem regarding the final dates as even the President of BCCI, Saurav Ganguly does not have any clarity. He also adds, "Saving human life and breaking the coronavirus chain is more important for all of us.” So the important question is, how will IPL be held if international players aren't around? With international travel suspended it may be difficult to confirm if foreign cricketers are actually allowed to travel into India and compete in the IPL 2020. The Indian Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju said to a TV channel that the nation's health could not be put to risk and the Indian Government would take a step only if the situation seems to be improving. Since fighting the coronavirus is the main aim of the government, holding a sporting event the concerned public health should not put such concerns to jeopardy. Because of this, the major decision lies with the Indian Government this year and not the BCCI.
The MHA guidelines say “Based on assessment of the situation (Phase 3), dates for restarting following will be decided—international air travel of passengers, gymnasiums, swimming pools, social /political /sports /entertainment functions, and large congregations.” This brought about a positive response and revived the hope of IPL 2020 with exclusive international players.
Yet the uncertainty of the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 has created confusion for the Australian cricketers as it was scheduled in October 2020 in Australia but now due to the current situation, it is likely to get pushed further to 2022 as there is no world event scheduled for that year in cricket. The current clash in the dates of IPL 2020 and T20 World Cup is still creating a buzz and players are unsure of what upcoming matches they may be playing. The players in Australia have already begun their pre-season training. One of the world's best batsmen Steve Smith says he's ready to travel for IPL if no T20 World Cup. Although his priority lies in the ICC World Cup, he is willing to play in the IPL if the former is postponed. About 17 Australian cricketers have an IPL franchise and they would not want to give that up. Pat Cummins, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell are associated with the IPL teams and have received millions of contracts over the years.
Indian Team Captain Virat Kohli says he is optimistic that IPL will take place. The Royal Challengers Bangalore Captain also said, "I absolutely love that tournament and also for the camaraderie which you share with so many new players that you play with, so many players that you have known for a long time now, not from your own country, those who you don’t see often, and there is one reason why everyone loves the IPL too, there is a connect, of players and fans and of viewers.” However, decisions are being made in board meetings where the ICC board is concerned about 16 teams flying worldwide. On the other hand, the BCCI board is looking into the possibilities of permitting players from different countries during the crisis.
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