'Confident that IPL will happen this year,' says Rajasthan Royals' COO Jake Lush McCrum
IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals' COO Jake Lush McCrum assured the fans that the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) will make IPL 2020 a reality this year itself.
Speaking at a 'Royal Fans Meet' on video-sharing app Zoom, McCrum put his utmost faith in the country's cricket governing authority to find a possible window for the cash-rich league in the current calendar year.
"There are a lot of stories in the press, but what I can say based on our conversation with the BCCI is, they are working really hard to find a solution. They are an agile association and can make it happen. We are confident that IPL will happen this year."
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, BCCI postponed IPL 2020 indefinitely after an initial postponement from its scheduled start date of March 29th. With the lockdown period getting extended, finding a window to organise the prestigious league this year has been the BCCI's top priority. Going by reports, the September-November window, with the latter two months originally earmarked for the WT20 in Australia, is being seen as the front-runner.
IPL 2020 in a September-November window
Citing the example of a highly successful IPL in 2009, an event that was organised in South Africa at an extremely short notice, the Royals' COO expressed hopes of a similar turnaround by the BCCI this time also.
The news of sports minister Kiren Rijiju giving a green light to the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to organise sporting events, provided the governing bodies maintained and followed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), comes as a huge sigh of relief.
"We are preparing for the September-November window. But nothing has been finalized as of now given the situation at hand. The great thing about BCCI is that they have put together the tournament at a very short notice as well in South Africa in 2009, they can do it again."
Some of the IPL franchises, including Rajasthan Royals, have also expressed their willingness to have the tournament with only Indian players. But this move has not been welcomed by the Chennai Super Kings.
