The Indian Premier League (IPL) was already pushed back from its original start date when the coronavirus pandemic struck. It should have started on March 29 but, due to lockdown, it was pushed back to April 15. A further delay was inevitable after the government extended the three-week lockdown until at least May 3.

The 13th edition of the IPL has been postponed indefinitely because of the pandemic according to BCCI’s Honorary Secretary Jay Shah on a press release he did on Thursday (April 16). Shah disclosed through the release that the BCCI’s IPL Governing Council decided to suspend the IPL 2020 season until further notice due to the evolving global health concerns regarding COVID-19. The lockdown measures implemented by the Government of India to contain the spread of the pandemic also played a big part in the decision.

The release further expressed that the IPL’s top priority remains to be the health and safety of the nation and everyone involved in the great sport.

The statement further expressed how franchise owners, broadcasters, sponsors acknowledge that the IPL can only commence when the situation is safe.

BCCI promises to continue monitoring and reviewing the situation regarding the potential start date in partnership with all of the stakeholders. They will also continue to take guidance from the government of India, state governments and other state regulatory bodies.

Many suggestions have been expressed with the suspension of the tournament. VVS Laxman, a former batsman in the Indian team, expressed that the IPL should be played before the Twenty20 World Cup.

The Twenty20 was scheduled to be held in Australia in October and November. Kevin Pietersen, a former English cricketer, had suggested that the tournament should be played behind closed doors and shorter than its normal eight-week duration.

Due to the suspension, offers have started to come in for IPL 2020 to be hosted outside of India. The coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Simon Katich, said he’s not averse to the possibility of the IPL being held in Australia and South Africa. Sri Lanka has also reached out to the BCCI with a solution.

Katich told SEN Radio that it will be an interesting topic of conversation whether the tournament would be held in Australia or elsewhere. He also expressed that there would be a few teams that would be very happy for the tournament to be played abroad.

He cited that there a number of overseas players who would enjoy the conditions since they are Australian and South African.

He was due to fly to India a few days after international travel was severely limited. He also expressed how he had no doubt that the IPL’s organisers would be doing everything they can to host the 2020 edition of the tournament in some form.

The people may love their live cricket, but he knows that they are also realistic and know that they have to sit tight, wait and ride it out however long it takes, like everyone else in the world. The location can also be a factor that will affect cricket match odds tremendously.

Obviously, the IPL is the biggest T20 tournament in the world. Katich believes that the IPL is at a scenario where it is still commercially viable to be played with empty stadiums. This is no doubt something that the committee will be weighing on and taking into consideration.

If Sri Lanka is able to avoid the worst of the pandemic, an option closer to home could emerge. Also, if Sri Lanka achieved their goal of fully eliminating the virus, they would likely be a viable option as an IPL venue. The tournament is still likely to require government clearance even in the best-case scenario for SLC.

Sri Lanka has placed an even more severe lockdown than most parts in India wherein a curfew prevails in the island for four weeks, at present. Nevertheless, the Sri Lankan government has been optimistic about eliminating the virus from the island.

SLC president, Shammi Silva, told Sinhala daily that it will apparently cost the BCCI and its stakeholders more than $500 million if they fully cancel the IPL. He thinks that they can perhaps minimise the losses by hosting the tournament in another country. Sri Lanka also sees this as a substantial source of income for their cricket, as well.

They are only waiting for the Indian Board to respond to their proposal saying that it will be easy for Indian audiences to watch the game if they are played in Sri Lanka.

If the Indian Board does agree to play the tournament there, Silva said they are ready to provide facilities in line with the requirements and recommendations of medical professionals.

Another high-profile event that has been increasingly getting attention under the scanner is the T20 World Cup. The live cricket event was originally scheduled to begin in mid-October in Australia. If the crisis makes it impossible to hold the tournament within the planned window, Katich suggested that it could be pushed back towards the end of the Australian summer.

Compared to other parts of the world in terms of the virus’ spread, Katich said that Australia seemed pretty fortunate. However, the tournament is still ‘a long way off’.

He sees a potential chance to hold it later in the summer like the Women’s T20 World Cup that was held recently.

He thinks that it will be interesting to hear the discussions that are probably taking place at the moment whether the schedule can be an opportunity to ‘re-jig things’ and if it’s logistically possible with the FTP the way it is.

Katich is, however, sure that a T20 World Cup is a priority for all the organisers to hold at some point during the Australian summer. He also admitted that it would be sensible for the inaugural season of the Hundred to be delayed until next year. The later schedule will only make the anticipation of fans heighten and cricket match odds to skyrocket with bettors.

There are obviously a lot of health regulations that have to be followed when everything commences again to make sure no one is endangered, whether its the public, the players or the support staff.