New Zealand offers to host IPL 2020
Image : Collected
|| Desk Report ||
New Zealand is the latest country offering to host the upcoming season of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) if the competition can’t be held in India due to escalating cases of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier Sri Lanka and UAE have both expressed their keen intention in hosting the lucrative league and with the 2020 T20 World Cup postponement is an imminent chance of IPL happening looks good.
The BCCI has already zeroed in on the end September-early November window for the upcoming IPL edition.
“Staging the event in India has to be the first choice but in case it is not safe to have it, then we will look at the overseas options. UAE, Sri Lanka and New Zealand have also offered to host the IPL,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
“We’ll sit down with all stakeholders (broadcaster, teams, etc) and take a call. The safety of the players is paramount. There will be no compromise on that,” the official said.
The IPL has been held overseas in the past, where the entire 2009 edition was staged in South Africa due to the general election back home and partially in the UAE in 2014 due to the same reason.
However despite elections, BCCI in 2019 managed to schedule the IPL in India avoiding clashing with poll dates in various states.
The UAE once again is the front-runner to host the tournament if it happens overseas. Sri Lanka is a cost-effective option while New Zealand, which has largely been free from the COVID-19 but practical feasibility is an issue.
