Not March or April, BCCI Planning 'New Month' For IPL 2020, Says Report 

As the Coronavirus pandemic positive cases are increasing in India, the talks on the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is still uncertain. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly planning to make sure that the IPL tournament takes place in 2020. Only because of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Indian cricket board had to suspended the IPL from March 29 to April 15 but with the increase in cases the dates could be changed again. 

According to a Times of India (ToI) report, BCCI hopes of conducting the IPL tournament in July-September if things do not improve in the coming days. When the franchise owners met BCCI officials on March 14 to discuss the matter and issue; they decided for a truncated league (shortened league) as a ‘Plan B’. 

But BCCI, does not want to conduct a truncated IPL; they wish to have all the 60 matches played in the tournament. BCCI feels, if not now then later, if not in India then overseas, if not with all the available players then some, but IPL should happen, ToI further reported. 

Meanwhile, the Future Tours Programme (FTP) will give the BCCI a window to host the tournament in July-September. “The 2009 IPL – in South Africa – was played inside 37 days. That’s five weeks and two days. If that kind of a window is made available, the IPL can be held partly in India and partly overseas, or the entire tournament can be shifted, depending on how the Covid-19 situation is globally,” a source told the Times of India.

After COVID-19 outbreak, major events in sports have been called off or postponed.