Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 11: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is learnt to have asked all the franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to get in touch with their respective overseas players to return as early as possible and reassemble their domestic players by Tuesday in a bid to resume the tournament with the intention to complete the schedule within the original stipulated time of May 25 or latest by the end of the current month.
The BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the Indian Cricket Board was closely monitoring the “evolving situation” and would consult all the necessary stakeholders before deciding to resume the 18th edition of the T20 tournament. He also said the most important factor in resuming the IPL would be the approval of the Government of India, and further action could only be taken if the necessary permissions were granted.
“In the next days, we will begin consultations with the franchises, broadcasters, sponsors and the state associations slated to host the remaining matches before crystallising a decision on the league’s resumption,” said Mr Saikia.
“Given the importance of IPL at this juncture, it will also be prudent and necessary to take the nod of the Government of India before finalising the time for its restart. BCCI will duly announce the date of IPL restart once the whole process is over in due course of time,” he added.
While the BCCI has not declared any date of resumption so far, it was waiting for a nod from the government in finalising the date of restart which is expected to be by the end of the week if all the overseas players, who have gone back to their respective countries can return by the date.
When the match between the Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals being played at Dharamshala was halted after 10.1 overs amidst sound of air raid sirens sounded in different cities in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab and blackouts ordered on May 8 and the IPL was suspended for a week the next days at heightened tension between India and Pakistan, the tournament was scheduled to end with the final match in Kolkata on May 25.
Sources said the remaining matches may be played only in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai with the final in Kolkata for logistic convenience for all the teams for quick movements as BCCI planned to incorporate more double-headers to complete the tournament in time. Sources said the BCCI may declare its revised schedule in the next 24 hours if it received the clearance from the government and security agencies.
The BCCI was forced to suspend the IPL on Friday, with 16 matches remaining, as the India-Pakistan border conflict threatened to grow into a full-blown war following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent “Operation Sindoor.” A total of 12 League stage matches and four play-off stage matches are yet to be played in the tournament. Most of the foreign recruits, who compete in the League for different teams, have already left the country.
The BCCI will also have to take a call on the abandoned match between PBKS and DC. A decision is yet to be taken whether the match should be replayed or resumed from where it was suspended at Dharamshala. One of the biggest challenges facing the teams ahead is convincing foreign players to return to play the tournament after a safe passage for their exit was devised.
