IPL 2020: All-Star Game Called off

The fans who were eagerly waiting to finally see the likes of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and other big names from different Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise play for the same team in the much-publicised All-Star game are set to be disappointed as the match is all but called off.

Last month, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had confirmed that there would be an All-Star game featuring players from all the eight franchises of the league. The match was reportedly set to take place on March 25 in Mumbai, four days before the start of the IPL on March 29.

However, the All-Star match is now off. According to Mumbai Mirror, the BCCI is yet to make the decision official but has informally informed all the franchises that the match won’t be taking place, at not before the start of the league.

The report further claimed that the reasons for the cancellation are manifold. Inquiries by the news outlet revealed that details of the game were not thought through to the fullest. First and foremost roadblock to the game was that the franchises were reluctant.

BCCI did make a big mistake by not consulting the franchises about the game before announcing it. It later emerged that the teams were not willing to let go of players fearing potential injuries before the start of the season.

Secondly, they teams did not want to spare players in the time they can utilise for promotional activity and camps. Besides, there were also monetary issues as there was no clarity over who would pay the players for the game. Thus, while the Indian players would have agreed to play, the overseas players would have insisted on payment.

The BCCI would have faced little difficulty in paying the players but then again there was no communication over the same between the board and the franchises.

“It is at least not happening before the start of the IPL,an official of a south India franchise told the news outlet.

Recently, the BCCI released the schedule of the IPL and there was no mention of the game on it which pretty much makes it clear that the game is off. Meanwhile, defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on Chennai Super Kings in the first game of this year’s IPL.

Also Read: Virat Kohli and Co. On The Verge Of A Massive Record Ahead of 1st Test