IPL 2020 to be held in the UAE, says chairman Brijesh Patel
'We will discuss the further course of action in IPL General Council,' Patel added
Just a day after International Cricket Council postponement of T20 World Cup 2020 to next year, Indian Premier League 2020, that was postponed due to coronavirus, will now be held in the UAE, confirmed Brijesh Patel, IPL Chairman.
"We have applied for the government's permission. We will discuss the further course of action in IPL General Council," he added.
Earlier, reports said that IPL's Governing Council will meet in a week or 10 days' time to plan its next course of action, eyeing UAE as the host this year.
An IPL between September and early November has been made possible by the ICC's decision on Monday to postpone the T20 World Cup in Australia, scheduled for October-November, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The IPL GC will meet within a week or 10 days and all decisions (including final schedule) will be taken there. As of now, the plan is to have a full-fledged IPL comprising 60 games and most likely in the UAE," Patel had told PTI.
Foreign players will fly in directly to the UAE from their respective countries.
"Our players will need at least three to four weeks of training, if not more. We will finalise all our plans once the BCCI announces the dates. It looks like the IPL will be in the UAE and we are ready for that," a team owner told PTI.
Earlier this month, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters they would consider hosting the IPL abroad as a last resort to salvage the tournament.
The 2009 edition of the franchise-based league, which coincided with India's elections, was held in South Africa, and the UAE hosted the early matches of the tournament five years later for the same reason.
"We have played there before and they are familiar in organising international matches. They are well-equipped," Patel said.
"From a pandemic position, too, the situation is significantly better there."
The IPL is the BCCI's main revenue earner. The Indian board has said it would lose more than $500 million if this year's tournament does not go ahead.
The seven-week tournament, which normally plays to packed stadiums across the country of 1.3 billion people, is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy.
With inputs from agencies
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First Published:21 Jul 2020, 07:30 PM IST
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