Ness Wadia said All franchisees want IPL to be organized during the epidemic

New Delhi: The franchisees of the Indian Premier League (IPL) want a decisive statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the future of the IPL whether the tournament will be played in full or the number of matches will be cut. Apart from this, it will be indigenously or on foreign land. The franchisees also believe that if this tournament is organized, it will get a record audience on TV.

Cricket Australia has been continuously mentioning the challenges of hosting 16 teams during the T20 World Cup held in October-November, and in such a situation, the IPL has been raised in the cricket season which has been disturbed due to the Korana virus epidemic.

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Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia told PTI, "Given the current situation, there are a lot of complications regarding the T20 World Cup with 16 teams. Organizing IPL will also not be easy. It should be organized in a place where there is suitable infrastructure both inside and outside the grounds.

The ICC has postponed its final decision on organizing the T20 World Cup till next month but the BCCI is already planning to host the tournament in September-October. Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore during a media event last week lodged a protest against the league format for 'tampering' but not all IPL stakeholders agree.

In view of the situation related to the epidemic, he has no problem in organizing a small tournament, though Mysore said that he is speaking on behalf of all 8 teams. The BCCI has so far insisted on organizing the tournament but has not told anything in detail.

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Wadia said, "I am sure that the BCCI is making all efforts to organize the full IPL but we have no problem even with the tournament with fewer matches." The IPL has shown great flexibility in organizing the tournament and we have to maintain this position even during Covid-19. In 2009, we organized the tournament in South Africa instead of India in just one month.

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in India and organizing IPL abroad is also an option. UAE and Sri Lanka, which partially hosted the tournament in 2014, have already shown interest in it, while New Zealand, one of the countries least affected by the coronavirus, is also an option but the difference in time between the two countries goes against it. Wadia said that all stakeholders can easily decide on the tournament venue and the number of matches with mutual consent.

The top official of another major team of the IPL, on the condition of anonymity, said that they do not want a tournament with fewer matches and also want the BCCI to announce the dates at the earliest so that potential team sponsors get enough time. The officer said, 'I don't understand what the BCCI is waiting for. They should have announced the dates by now. Then whether it is August-September or September-October (in the event of the World Cup not happening). '

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Wadia also hopes that even if the number of matches in the tournament is small, the sponsors will not leave the IPL. A source from Chennai Super Kings, however, said that the impact of sponsors on the tournament will be known only when it comes close. The source said, "The sponsors will come to the teams only after the dates are announced."
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