In the wake of the coronavirus postponing the cash-rich Indian Premier League, former English skipper-turned-commentator, Michael Vaughan on Thursday suggested that the IPL should happen for at least five weeks which will help in the build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
The IPL was initially slated to start on March 29, which got postponed further till April 15. Amid the 21-day lockdown, it looks highly unlikely the tournament will happen anytime soon.
Taking to Twitter, Vaughan said: “Here”s a thought .. The IPL is played for the 5 weeks leading up to the T20 World Cup in Oz .. all players use it as the great warm up for the WC .. then the WC happens .. So important for the game that the IPL takes place but also the WC.”
IPL franchises have decided that they will have the next meeting to decide the way forward only after the government comes up with a fresh advisory on or after April 14.
Speaking to IANS, an official of one of the franchises said that it doesn’t make any sense to have meetings when the future is uncertain, adding that there will be clarity once the current lockdown ends.
“We last met the BCCI officials at the HQ and after that, the next meeting was called off as it was clear that clarity from the government on the situation with regards to the pandemic is a must. Now that our 21-day lockdown comes to an end on April 14, we will get clarity on how things stand and if we will need any further steps in that direction to fight COVID-19. Once that clarity is got, we can all sit down and chalk out the road ahead,” the official said.