Rajasthan Royals owner drops hint about IPL 2020 dates
Co-owner of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR), Manoj Badale expressed hope that a truncated IPL might be on the cards. According to him, several discussions have taken place between IPL owners and the governing council over the future of this year's edition, which might be delayed further amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Talking on BBC 5 Live, Badale said that if IPL was to take place this year, it will have to be a shortened or condensed version of the original. The best window for IPL to take place could be the World T20 slot, scheduled for October-November. He added that IPL remains hugely important to the game of cricket and also for domestic cricketers.
"I think we will have some form of tournament this year. It will probably be a shortened tournament. As long as people are prepared to be creative and as long as boards are prepared to work together collaboratively, it [IPL] is hugely important to the game of cricket."
Also see – IPL 2020 Players
He explained that if it came down to choosing between no IPL or an IPL with only domestic players in it, then he would gladly go for the latter. IPL 2020 has several young faces waiting to be given a chance, which in turn will also given them economic stability.
"It is not just of importance to the Indians that the IPL takes place. If it was a choice of no IPL or a domestic player-only IPL I would choose the latter... It is important for the whole game. It is [important] economically for some of the best players in the world. It is economically meaningful for the event organizers and for the broadcasters that participate."
Apart from the players, Badale said that a lot of careers outside the field were on the line, that mattered on par with player-participation. Therefore, Badale revealed that he batted for a condensed version of IPL, to keep the livelihoods of all people involved intact.
"So the trickle-down effect of a tournament as big as the IPL not taking place in terms of its impact on more than just the players but (also) all the people whose livelihoods depend on it is pretty significant. So we have a responsibility to try and find a way of playing it if we possibly can."
Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008 under the inspirational leadership of former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne.
All cricket tournaments scheduled in the coming months have either been indefinitely postponed or canceled in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.