The worst hit coronavirus pandemic has brought the entire world to a halt. Now, with life restoring to normalcy, buzz is that the much-awaited Indian Premier League will finally kickstart on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates with the finals scheduled on November 8, well-placed BCCI sources told PTI on Thursday.
As per reports, the IPL Governing Council will probably hold a meeting next week to carve out the final details and go about it. It is understood that the BCCI has informally indicated the franchises about the plan.
“IPL in all likelihood will start on September 19 (Saturday) and the final will be held on November 8 (Sunday). It is a 51-day window which will suit the franchises as well as the broadcasters and other stakeholders,” a senior BCCI official told PTI.
The IPL has been possible by the ICC’s decision to reschedule the October-November T20 World Cup in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of which the host country would be unable to conduct the event.
“The Indian team will have a mandatory quarantine of 14 days as per Australian government rules. A delay would have sent the plans haywire. The best part is that 51 days is not at all a curtailed period and there will be much less double headers. We could stick to original five double headers in seven week window,” the official said.
It is expected that with each and every team requiring at least a month’s time to train, the franchises will be leaving by August 20 which gives them exactly four weeks time to get trained properly.