Ambitious plans for England to act as a stand-in host for the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) have been initiated by a small group of counties in the country.
The lucrative Twenty20 league was suspended on Tuesday due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in India.
While the global calendar is already logjammed, the Board of Control for Cricket in India will be desperate to get its flagship event back up and running.
It will also help it protect the competition’s vast associated revenues.
Media reports have it that Initial contact has been made with the England and Wales Cricket Board.
They have suggested the likes of Lord’s, The Kia Oval, Emirates Old Trafford and Edgbaston as possible venues for the 31 remaining fixtures.
The ECB would need to adopt the project and the governing body suggested on Thursday that their counterparts were far from ready to engage.
A spokesperson was quoted as saying: “We speak to the BCCI regularly about tours and other matters and we’ll continue doing so.
“But we have received no indication that they are looking for alternative hosts for the IPL at the moment.”
The trajectory of the pandemic represents the biggest unknown.
The current course of events in England suggests by mid-September – when India’s Test series against England is due to finish – fans could be back at sports events in big numbers.
That may prove an appealing prospect to organisers, who had to stage the 2020 edition behind closed doors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
They will not anticipate big ticket sales if the venue was used for a second time.(dpa/NAN)
