The Indian Premier League, cricket’s most lucrative competition from a financial point of view, has been indefinitely suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so have other bilateral series in international cricket in the coming months.
The T20 World Cup in Australia in October is also in doubt. There are several options and measures being discussed to get cricket going and accommodate the IPL in the calendar.
A compulsory quarantine period of 14 days is being discussed for touring teams and cricketers before a tournament. India’s tour of Australia in October is scheduled to happen with the Indian players arriving Down Under much earlier to finish the quarantine period.
Cricketers discussed the possibility of the game returning and the nature of the tournaments once it does.
“It’s important that we as players need to adapt and evolve to what we are currently facing. I’m for quarantine for 14 days,” South Africa’s Test captain Faf du Plessis said during Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.
“I think if we start doing that tours might become a lot shorter. So if you play a four-match test series of two months IPL and another 14-day period of quarantine after that, you are looking at three months of touring playing just one team,” he added.
“So I’m all for quarantining but at the start we must play just a two-match series or an IPL that lasts for a month,” he continued.
Read: ‘It’s just a money grab’: Allan Border slams idea of IPL happening if T20 World Cup cannot go ahead
Indian greats Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman too were hopeful of cricket’s return and said few changes might be needed in the way tournaments are held.
“We are hopeful about the IPL. There’s still a possibility if we can cram in the schedule,” Kumble said during the show.
“If we are going to have a stadium without spectators we could have the IPL at maybe three or four venues. There is still a possibility, we’re all optimistic,” he added.
“I still feel we should identify one venue that has three or four grounds because travel is again going to be quite challenging,” Laxman said, adding to Kumble’s suggestion.
Also Read: Appointing medical officers, 14-day isolation training camps: ICC guidelines for cricket to restart
With international travel suspended in India, the IPL might have to be played without foreigners. However, Brett Lee feels, the Australians would be keen to travel if the safety measures are in place.
“The Australians are super keen. Once the safety measures are in place any Australian cricketer would love to have the opportunity to go and play in the IPL. It’s one of the best tournaments in the world and if it means quarantining for fourteen days, it’s fine,” he said.
You can watch the full episode of Cricket Next here.