Business Day

‘Short IPL will kick-start the game’

- Agency Staff New Delhi

Players are putting pressure on cricket authoritie­s to plan a shortened Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) later in 2020 to “kick-start” the sports economy after the coronaviru­s lockdown.

The world’s richest cricket tournament has been postponed until April 15, which coincides with the end of India’s 21-day nationwide shutdown to halt the spread of the pandemic.

But with the number of cases and deaths rising and India isolated from internatio­nal travel, few believe any sport will be possible in the subcontine­nt for at least three months.

“Let’s say July-August is the earliest,” said Kevin Pietersen, the former England batsman. “I do truly believe the IPL should happen. I think every single player around the world is desperate to play the IPL,” he said on Indian broadcaste­r Star Sports.

Pietersen suggested the eight-team tournament be shortened from its normal eightweek duration and played behind closed doors.

“There could be a way in which to get some money into the franchises, into the economy by having a situation where you use maybe three venues which are completely closed to fans,” said Pietersen.

“And the players can still go out and play the tournament in three weeks or in four weeks. I think the fans need to understand they can’t watch a live game at the moment and they might not be able to watch a live game for the foreseeabl­e future.”

The league is a huge revenue earner for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is estimated to generate more than $11bn for the Indian economy.

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said the league — which involves stars such as England’s Ben Stokes, David Warner and Pat Cummins of Australia, and India captain Virat

Kohli — would inject life into the virus-ravaged economy.

“The moment we get clearances from the authoritie­s that matter, the IPL should happen, only because it will kick-start the economy,” said the cricketert­urned-commentato­r. “Because when you talk about the IPL it’s not just about the Mumbai Indians, or a [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni or a Virat Kohli; there are a lot of people who are making their livelihood through the IPL.”

Stokes and Cummins have already voiced their eagerness to participat­e in the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders-contracted Cummins said “everyone’s still really keen for it to all go ahead”.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has conceded the IPL would be a “truncated” affair if it happens at all.

THE LEAGUE IS A HUGE REVENUE EARNER AND IS ESTIMATED TO GENERATE MORE THAN $11BN FOR THE INDIAN ECONOMY.

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