Indian govt to decide fate of IPL, not cricket board: Minister
MUMBAI: India’s sports minister on Sunday said any decision to allow the Indian Premier League (IPL) to go ahead this year would be taken by the government, not the Indian cricket board, and would be based on how well the country has contained the novel coronavirus.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said the IPL would go ahead only if there was no risk to public health.
“In India the government has to take a call and it will be depending on the situation of the pandemic, how we progress as a nation,” Rijiju told the India Today television channel.
“We can’t put health of the nation at risk just because we want sporting events to be held. Our focus is fighting COVID-19.”
The BCCI, the richest cricket body in the world, had said it would consider staging the lucrative IPL in October/november if the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Australia during those months, did not go ahead.
Thei pl is worth almost $530 million tot heb cc ia nd attracts the best international and Indian cricketers. It was scheduled to start at the end of March but was indefinitely postponed because of the pandemic.
India has reported 131,868 infections from the new coronavirus, with 3,867 deaths.
Meanwhile, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has said that holding the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will make a ‘huge impact’ as the freeze on the cricket calendar continues amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Hopefully, the IPL will happen. I always think in a positive manner. It will be really good if the tournament goes ahead... the security of everyone will need to be taken care of. If it happens, it will be really good as it brings a lot of positivity,” Dhawan told Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews in an Instagram live video chat. “It’s very important that some sports return to improve the environment and mood... it will have a huge impact if the IPL returns,” he added.
Playing matches behind closed doors has been suggested as an option as authorities continue to work hard towards resumption of the sport. Before corona virus abruptly halted cir ck et in march, australia played New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) without spectators.
“Obviously, we are going to miss playing in front of a huge crowd if tournaments take place behind closed doors, the fans bring their own charm and aura, but at the same time, it would be an opportunity as we have been sitting at our homes for two months now,” said Dhawan.