Glenn Maxwell bats for IPL over T20 World Cup

Australian all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell has opined that the Indian Premier League can "survive" behind closed doors, but the World T20 must have fans in attendance to watch the global event from the stands.

While the novel coronavirus pandemic caused the postponement of the IPL to April 15, it is improbable that the cash-rich league will begin as scheduled. Sportskeeda had earlier reported that BCCI is considering a window towards the end of August, and an announcement is expected soon.

Maxwell shared his thoughts on the possibility of conducting both the IPL and World T20 this year, and in the process downplayed the idea of Australia hosting the global event without a crowd.

”... it’s going to be hard for us to have crowds. I think if IPL goes ahead they can probably survive without any crowds, but I can’t see the T20 World Cup surviving without any people there,” Maxwell told ABC Grandstand.

The 31-year-old all-rounder, who is due to turn out for the Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2020 did not seem confident of the World T20 taking place this year, despite the tournament slated to begin only in October.

“It’s going to be hard for us to justify having a World Cup when we can’t get people into the grounds. So I can’t see it happening in the near future. We’ve got to take care of everyone’s health and wellbeing,” said Maxwell.