Sri Lanka Cricket chief Shammi Silva told the media that he is going to write to the BCCI to offer to host the Indian Premier League in Sri Lanka. This comes after the IPL being postponed until further notice by the BCCI.
IPL 2020 was officially put off for an indefinite period. The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League was originally scheduled to start from March 29. Due to the coronavirus outburst, it was initially postponed to April 15. With the extension of lockdown until May 3 and based on the severity of the situation, it has been indefinitely suspended.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said in a statement that with health concerns and lockdown measures in mind, the IPL Governing Council decided to suspend the 2020 season until further notice.
"The health and safety of the nation and everyone involved in our great sport remain our top priority..." Shah added.
"BCCI will continue to monitor and review the situation regarding a potential start date in close partnership with all of its stakeholders..." Shah said about the new IPL 2020 start date.
The SLC chief cited that BCCI might hit a massive financial set back if IPL 2020 is canceled due to the COVID19 pandemic. He also added that it might look for alternative options.
In the past, the Indian Premier League has been shifted out of India in 2009 and 2014. The 2009 season was held in South Africa because of the Lok Sabha elections. In 2014, the UAE hosted the first two weeks of IPL owing to the general assembly polls in India.
Shammi Silva believes that Sri Lanka could host this year's IPL because the island nation seems to recover more quickly than India from the epidemic. "It looks like Sri Lanka will be clear of the coronavirus before India," SLC president Shammi Silva told Reuters in Colombo.
“If so, we can host the tournament here. We will be writing to the Indian cricket board soon,” he added.
The island nation has so far reported fewer cases than India. However, the lockdown is more severe. If it does eliminate the virus before India, Sri Lanka would prove to be a viable alternative. Government clearance will play a major role.
BCCI is also looking for alternatives. It is said that they are monitoring two options as of now. To organize IPL in September and early October before the T20 World Cup. Or hosting it at the expense of the T20 World Cup with the agreement of ICC, Cricket Australia, and other stakeholders.
The SLC president stated that if the Indian board does agree to the proposal, Sri Lanka is ready to provide all the necessary facilities under the supervision of health authorities. Also, he added that hosting IPL will help in boosting the economy of Sri Lanka and the cricket board.
