Board president Sourav Ganguly’s statement that the IPL will be held this year comes as a big reassurance for cricketers, said former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who feels that having a T20 World Cup in Australia is a difficult proposition.
The likelihood of having an IPL has increased significantly with BCCI president Ganguly making his intent clear to host the tournament, in a letter to state associations. At the same time, Cricket Australia stressing that this year’s T20 World Cup seems unrealistic amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I just read the statement yesterday that they are trying their best to have an IPL. Everybody is looking forward to that stage,” Pathan said on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’. Pathan believes Australia are a stickler for norms and hosting an entire tournament with quarantine restrictions in place, to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak which has has infected over 8.2 million people across the globe, seems logistically difficult.
“A lot of people are talking about the World Cup happening in Australia, I have my doubts because in Australia, I have been there. These guys in Australia follow their rules very particularly. Even if it’s the smallest rule, they go by the norm,” Pathan said. “They look after each and every situation. Getting quite a few games altogether, with the quarantine and everything, I think it looks very difficult,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to media reports the BCCI has zeroed in on September 26 to November 8 as the tentative schedule for the 13th edition of the IPL. “In that regard, the statement coming from Sourav Ganguly as the president of BCCI that the IPL will happen at some stage, that’s great news not only for Indian cricketers but for all cricketers around the world as well.”
“I’m looking forward to it as well. That does give a lot of reassurance to all the cricketers,” Pathan said. The International Cricket Council (ICC), after a board meeting last week, said a decision regarding the T20 World Cup will be made next month.
