Rahul Dravid Explains Reason Behind BCCI's Desperation To Conduct IPL 2020 Amid Pandemic

Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has explained the reason behind BCCI’s desperation to host the IPL this year. At a time when almost the entire world has come to a standstill because of the coronavirus pandemic, the BCCI has boldly decided to host the competition.

The Indian cricket board, in fact, is so hell bent on conducting the IPL that it has moved the tournament out of the country to the UAE due to the alarming situation in India. Such desperation from the BCCI in the tough times have surprised many but Rahul Dravid has now explained the reason behind it. The legendary batsman stated why conducting the IPL is very important for Indian cricket.

Rahul Dravid, during a webinar organised by Deccan Herald, narrated why the league is so important for the cricket ecosystem in the country.The former coach of India A and U19 sides also said that the BCCI will create a bio-secure bubble to ensure the safety of the players during the IPL 2020 in UAE.

“I’m sure leagues like the IPL will be able to put in the kind of bio-secure environments required, like what EPL, Bundesliga or what ECB did with the England-West Indies series, said the former cricketer who is currently heading the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

“I’m sure every effort will be made to do that. Lets be honest. There is a lot of revenue that rides with tournaments like the IPL. I know if you’re cynical about it, you can only look at the money that the big players make or maybe the franchises or BCCI make, but where does that money go? It goes down to state associations, in conducting Under-19 and Under-16 tournaments, so a lot of the revenue associated with the game.

“The fact of the matter is, none of the domestic sport actually generates any revenue. In fact, it costs a lot of money to hold. So if you want to give young boys and girls the opportunity to play, if you want to give them opportunities to express their talent, money has got to come from somewhere. The reality is, to conduct tournaments and develop high-class athletes, it costs money. There’s a financial element involved,” he further explained.

Rahul Dravid went on to say:

“Its easy to say (BCCI is) conducting it (the IPL) only because of the huge finances riding on it. I would like to think, without compromising on safety and ensuring all the SOPs are in place to conduct a safe and secure tournament, the money generated from the IPL filters all through our sport and helps fund junior and domestic cricket. That is why sporting organisations are keen to conduct these tournaments.

They understand if we don’t have that revenue, not only will that tournament suffer but the ripple effect will be felt all the way down,” he explained.

Meanwhile, IPL 2020 is scheduled to start on September 19 in the UAE. IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel has already confirmed the venue and the starting date for the tournament. The thirteenth edition of the tournament was originally scheduled to be held between March 29 and May 17. However, the BCCI had to suspend the league indefinitely in the light of the pandemic.

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