Sri Lanka Cricket Offers BCCI To Host The Remainder Of The IPL 2021 In September

After the English counties on Thursday offered to host the remainder of the IPL 2021 season, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Friday has also presented the alternative for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to conduct the rest of the season at the island.

On Tuesday, the BCCI suspended the IPL 2021 after covid-19 cases were observed in 4 different franchises. Now the Sourav Ganguly-led panel is eyeing the September window to organize the remaining of the season – 29 of the 60 scheduled games were played out before the tournament came to a halt.

The SLC has a good relationship with the Indian board; looking at the English counties’ offer, and the prospect of BCCI once again conducting the IPL in the UAE, the SLC, too, has put forward their proposal.

“Yes, we can certainly provide a window to host the IPL in the month of September. We hear the UAE (United Arab Emirates) is their one option but Sri Lanka can not be ignored for all reasons,” Prof. Arjuna de Silva, the chief of the managing committee of the SLC, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, said.

“We are planning to host the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in July-August and the grounds and other infrastructure will be ready for the IPL in September,” he added.

If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to INR 2500 crore:  Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI President, too, is eager to resume the IPL 2021. Otherwise, the board would have to bear the losses amounting to about INR 2500 crore – it could be more as well.

The former India captain also hinted that they might stage the tournament in the window between India’s tour to England, which finished by mid-September, and the T20 World Cup, which commences by mid-October. However, it comes with huge logistical challenges of its own.

“Lot of things are involved and we will slowly start working on them. If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to INR 2500 crore (USD 340 million approx). That is going by early estimates,” Sourav Ganguly was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

“There has got to be a lot of shuffling. Only a day has passed since we suspended the IPL. We have to speak to other boards and see if a window can be made available before the T20 World Cup,” the 48-year-old stated.

Also Read: IPL 2021 Suspended: Alarm Bells Started Going Off For All Of Us – Chris Morris Speaks About The Chaotic Time When Early COVID-19 Cases Emerged