After BCCI apex council member Anshuman Gaekwad suggested that the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League could be held in October-November (if T20 World Cup is postponed/cancelled), board CEO Rahul Johri has also shown optimism on the same.
The fate of the T20 World Cup is expected to be discussed in ICC's board meeting on May 28 and a decision on the global tournament may clear the air on the possibility of IPL this year.
Speaking at a webinar, Johri said that the IPL is 'one of the greatest engagers', adding that the board is 'committed' to bring the best players in the world to the tournament.
“IPL is one of the greatest engagers. More people watched the IPL last year than those who voted for general elections. For sponsors, cricket is a leader and it will lead the way. The recovery will be sharper than a V-shaped recovery," Johri said at the TCM Sports Huddle webinar. (ALSO READ: I'm hopeful of IPL happening, assure that RCB will be ready: Mike Hesson)
“The flavour of IPL is that best players of the world come and play, and everyone is committed to maintaining that flow. But it will be a step-by-step process. We can’t expect normalisation tomorrow."
Johri, however, also acknowledged that the process is far from easy. While he remains hopeful of situation surrounding COVID-19 to improve post-monsoon, Johri also admitted that international schedules and proper quarantine measures also need to be taken into account.
“We will be guided by the government guidelines. Our advisory says: IPL is suspended till further notice. We are engaging with various agencies. After the current phase of lockdown ends, there is the monsoon. Cricketing activities can start only after monsoon. By then, hopefully things will improve," said Johri. (ALSO READ: Would love to play for RCB for the rest of my life: AB de Villiers)
“When flights resume, everyone has to quarantine themselves before playing. We will have to look at how that will impact the schedules, which as it is are tight. Imagine you have to factor in 14-day quarantine prior to practice also. So, there are a lot of moving parts. But we are still optimistic. Hopefully, the situation will improve after monsoon, and we will approach it then."
Like football, cricket is also likely to resume without spectators and Johri ensured that the board can afford to conduct games without fans for 'short term'.
“It will not just be in IPL but also international cricket. Although it (gate receipts) gives us small percentage of our revenue, it is important because bulk of that goes in maintenance of stadiums. However, in the short term, before we get back to normal, we can live without (spectators) it," said the BCCI CEO.
