Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni
Amid the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) showing desperation to stage the 13th season of the Indian Premier League in 2020, a major stakeholder of the league floated the idea of a one-city tournament in October, as reported by PTI.
IPL 2020 was slated to begin on March 29 but was indefinitely postponed by BCCI amid the rising concern over coronavirus. However, the board is now in search of a safe window later this year with eyes keenly on the fate of the ICC T20 World Cup which is scheduled to happen in October-November period this year in Australia.
ICC is yet to announce the fate of the tournament. If it gets postponed, BCCI is likely to use the window to stage IPL 2020.
Amid all the possibilities that BCCI is mulling, the idea of Mumbai-only IPL has been pitched.
It's at a very preliminary stage but if IPL happens in India and by October, situation is under control in Mumbai, there are four top-class floodlit grounds available in Mumbai. The logistics for BCCI, broadcasters (Star Sports), maintaining a bio-bubble, everything could be managed smoothly," a BCCI official said told PTI
In Mumbai, there are three grounds where IPL has happened -- the Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil (Navi Mumbai).
There is also the Reliance ground in Ghansoli, the stadium where IPL franchise Mumbai Indians have their pre-season camps.
"Obviously, everything depends on the COVID situation in Mumbai. But if there are no spectators allowed and a bio-bubble is created, then Mumbai won't be a bad option," the official said.
The fate of IPL can only be decided after ICC takes a decision on World T20.
