IPL 2020 Latest News: BCCI Treasurer raises questions on immediate future of IPL 2020

BCCI Treasurer raises questions on immediate future of IPL 2020: Arun Dhumal believes a lot of questions regarding IPL 2020 remain in limbo.

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal has revealed that the office-bearers weren’t supposed to meet yesterday to discuss the future of the 13th season of the Indian Premier League and that there is a lot of other pending work in addition to the biggest T20 league.

“We office-bearers are in constant touch. It’s not just IPL but there is huge amount of pending administrative work, legal issues that need to be studied. But there was no conference call scheduled today as there is nothing to discuss till current situation persists,” Dhuman was quoted as saying by PTI.

Originally scheduled to begin on March 29, IPL 2020 was one of the many cricket tournaments which got delayed/cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic after it was delayed till April 15.

While the stipulated time period will finish tomorrow, possible extension of the lockdown in the country means that the cash-rich league will continue to get affected. Dhumal further opined that any speculation amidst the uncertainty regarding the nationwide lockdown will be “premature”.

“Right now, the picture is very hazy. We don’t even know when the lockdown will end and if we don’t know, how can we even have a meaningful discussion. Once we get clarity from the government, we can then sit and take fresh stock of the situation. Any speculation about its future will be premature,” Dhumal said.

BCCI Treasurer raises questions on immediate future of IPL 2020

While the participation of Australian players in IPL 2020 is already under the scanner, Dhumal also pointed out how the same situation could arise with respect to other countries as well.

“Firstly, if Australia is under lockdown for six months, how can we conclude that they will allow their players to travel from next month right away? What if the travel restrictions for its citizens are still in place. How will they come to India then? And don’t forget that other boards also need to agree,” he said.

While Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes and fielding coach Dishant Yagnik have laid emphasis on keeping fit with an eye on IPL 2020, Dhumal believes that all players will be needing some time to get back to training before taking part in a tournament like the IPL.

“Even if we are in a position to conduct a tournament, for international players, we need to give them a bare minimum time to do full-fledged training before we can start a tournament. All these factors can only be clear when we are in a position to discuss,” Dhumal concluded.