IPL 2019 Likely To Start Early To Give India Rest Before World Cup: Reports

The twelfth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will reportedly start early keeping in mind the 2019 World Cup in summer. The Indian team-management has expressed its desire of letting the pacers take adequate rest before the World Cup. And according to ESPNcricinfo, the tournament could be advanced by a couple of weeks. The report further claimed that the competition could get underway from March 23.

During a recent meeting of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in Hyderabad Indian skipper Virat Kohli mooted the idea of resting resting pace bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, from the entire IPL to keep them fresh for the World Cup.

An official earlier told PTI that the IPL will start from March 29 and the pacers are unlikely to be rested.

“The IPL is starting on March 29 and will finish on May 19. In any case, there will be a 15-day gap before India play their first World Cup game against South Africa on June 5. So there is no chance that pacers can be rested for the entire duration of the IPL,” a senior official, who was present in the meeting, told PTI on Thursday.

The news outlet further reported that the Indian team-management asked whether key players, including senior fast bowlers, could be rested from the IPL and adequately compensated if so.

Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, selection committee chairman MSK Prasad had also attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, the IPL governing council has made it clear to the CoA that the franchises are unlikely to accept the Indian team-management’s requests. Probably this was the reason that made BCCI consider an early start.

The IPL management, headed by chief operating officer Hemang Amin, is understood to have told the CoA that the Indian team management’s request would need the consent of the franchises, which could be hard to come by. This may have in-turn forced the BCCI into considering an early start.

The report also claimed that the CoA told Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri that while India remain the No. 1 Test side, they have been “found wanting” in South Africa and England.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is also exploring the feasibility of hosting IPL 2019 in India. However, the board will take the final call only after the dates for the general elections is announced. Recently, a team was sent to South Africa to carry out a recee.