Sourav Ganguly keeping fingers crossed about IPL 2020
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly may not have firm answers to questions about the IPL 2020 start date right away, but right now he is praying for a coronavirus free-world more than anything else.
With India opening up areas under green zones, while continuing with the lockdown in containment zones, there is, of course, a glimmer of hope that the IPL 2020 will happen at some point of the year. However, Ganguly is still keeping his fingers crossed.
When will IPL 2020 happen and where will it be held?
“We can’t say what will happen in the days to come. It is tough to predict. We are looking at all options. We are still not sure when cricket could resume,” Ganguly told Sportskeeda on Monday.
Whether India would be the preferred choice of the venue over other foreign countries like UAE and Sri Lanka for IPL 2020 is something the BCCI isn’t sure as of now.
There were also issues like foreign exchange and other logistical challenges whenever IPL has travelled abroad, which could prevent the BCCI from taking IPL out of India. For all practical purposes, India is the first choice for staging IPL 2020.
However, Ganguly is non-committal on the issue. The Indian board also suggested that predicting anything about IPL 2020 at this stage isn’t right because they are yet to formalize anything right now.
“If at all, IPL does happen, we don’t know where it could happen. India would certainly like to host the event, provided the environment is safe. Right now, we are not in a position to say anything. It is too early. We are yet to officially discuss the IPL schedule. But it depends on the safety of the environment. Saving human life and breaking the coronavirus chain are more important for all of us,” Ganguly said.
On being asked how he spent time during the lockdown, Ganguly said, “I have been at home only with my family. I am really bothered with the way people are suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic. I can’t say how many people benefitted through my charity foundation. I am trying my best. We all are doing our bit in little ways to come out of this crisis.”
Before the former Indian captain signed off for other engagements, he said that the mango tree inside his house is just doing fine after the tropical cyclone Amphan stuck Bengal last week.
“The mango tree in the house had to be lifted, pulled back and fixed again, strength at its highest,” Ganguly wrote on his twitter account on May 21.