We Have No Issues Even With A Curtailed IPL: Ness Wadia

All eyes are on the BCCI as the cricket world eagerly waits to learn the fate of this year’s IPL. The thirteenth edition of the league was scheduled to start on March 29 but was later suspended indefinitely by the BCCI in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.

But with sporting world now slowly getting back on its feat, the hopes of seeing IPL take place this year have also increased. The BCCI has already made it clear that it wants to host the tournament this year. The Indian cricket board could lose around INR 4,000 crore if its fails to conduct the tournament.

Well, only time will tell what happens but one can say that the chances of the tournament taking place this year are looking brighter at the moment. The chances have further increased after reports emerged that Cricket Australia believe the possibility of T20 World Cup taking place this year is ‘unrealistic’.

Ness Wadia on IPL:

Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia has said that organising the IPL would be tough this year. At the same time, he stated that the franchises won’t have any issues with a curtailed IPL.

“Considering the current situation, there are too many complications in hosting the T20 World Cup with 16 teams. Organising the IPL won’t be easy too. It has to be at a place which has adequate infrastructure, both on and off the field,” Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia told PTI.

“I am sure BCCI is putting all its efforts towards a full IPL but we have no issues even with a curtailed one. We have to be aware of the situation we are in and optimise ourselves,” Wadia said.

He further cited the situation in 2009 when the BCCI shifted the entire tournament to South Africa due to the general elections in the country.

“IPL has also been a very forward looking and flexible tournament and that has to be maintained during the COVID situation. Going back to 2009, within one month we switched from India to South Africa,” said  Wadia.

With COVID-19 cases rising in India, staging the IPL overseas is very much an option. The UAE, which partially hosted the tournament in 2014, and Sri Lanka, have already shown interest in hosting the event. When asked about the location for the tournament, Wadia said:

“We would need adequate number of hotels in that place, so that we are able to quarantine players if needed. Whether in India or abroad, there has to be enough infrastructure.”

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