IPL 2020 Could Begin: The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council chairman Brijesh Patel has confirmed that IPL 2020 tournament is shifting to the United Arab Emirates. The BCCI requested the government of India to give permission for the IPL to be conducted in the desert destination. The proposed window for the IPL 2020 is September 26 to November 8. According to the reports, a governing council meeting of the IPL is expected to take place on July 24.
As per the reports, the board is all set to allow following things: A) An early start to evening matches, possibly slated to begin at 7.30 pm IST; B) Advancing IPL by a week and beginning the tournament on September 19 instead of 26; C) A possible three-match white ball series versus South Africa in UAE; D) Combination of B+C – provided there is consensus within BCCI.
The Board of Control for Cricket had been looking at a September 26 to November 8 window for the IPL 2020, but reports emerged that the host broadcasters STAR isn’t very happy to forego the Diwali (November 14) weekend.
The BCCI is thus likely to provide options to STAR, one of which includes beginning the IPL on September 19. This could also result in the reduction of evening matches, in line with STAR’s desires.
The night matches could also start at 7.30 PM IST (6 pm UAE) instead of the usual 8 PM IST.
On Tuesday, Brijesh Patel, the IPL governing council chairman, confirmed that the 12th edition of the tournament will be held in UAE due to the COVID-19 situation in India. While an official announcement from the board is yet to come, the BCCI is waiting for approval from the Indian government before finalizing the schedule.
White ball series against South Africa
The talk of the three-match series between India and South Africa is seen as a ‘catalyst’ in the wake of Star eyeing Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) home rights. If given the go-ahead, matches will be played in UAE to suit India prime time and curtail additional travel for the Indian team.
“The question is, will BCCI allow? The Indian team hasn’t played any cricket since March and is required to play a two-month-long IPL followed by two months in Australia, which is a demanding tour. Why would you risk fitness when they’ve not even stepped on the ground for so long, especially when BCCI president says he expects Virat Kohli to win in Australia. If you want them to do well, then give them time to recover from this four-month isolation,” say those tracking developments.
Nevertheless, the value of South Africa’s bilateral rights can be seen at 30% of BCCI’s rights value for bilateral cricket. At these given estimates, Star getting to host India vs South Africa in UAE (as South Africa’s home venue, citing COVID) will end up boosting the broadcaster’s revenue in an otherwise dull market.
“If BCCI gives a go-ahead to the series, it’s a win-win for Star. The only question is will the Board rush its players into a series so early after such a long break? Ideally, the team would have required a one-month camp to get back to full fitness, which was the earlier plan,” sources say.
