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The conundrum regarding IPL 2020 has taken several unexpected turns over the last month. The coronavirus outbreak coupled with the government's lockdown guidelines saw the tournament initially be postponed from 29 March to 15 April, before being indefinitely suspended on 16 April.
Reports of a shortened IPL 2020, or an IPL 2020 without live audience and overseas players, have repeatedly come up. With several rumors doing the rounds, Sportskeeda has managed to keep a thorough track of the BCCI announcements.
Regardless of the outcome, the IPL brand is set to lose its $6.8 billion valuation if it chooses to either play a shorter tournament or abandon it entirely. In addition, the fate of almost ₹1,200 crore sponsorship money also hangs in balance.
On that note, here is a chronological look at all the IPL 2020 news, ending with the current possibilities regarding its schedule.
31 March: BCCI looking at September-October window for IPL 2020
By the end of March, finding a new window this year to host IPL 2020 had become one of the most hotly debated topics in Indian cricket. With the pandemic outbreak casting a shadow on all sporting events throughout the world, BCCI's cash-rich league found itself at a crossroads.
Sportskeeda's sources had confirmed that BCCI were trying their best to squeeze out a September-October window for IPL this year. But their main hurdle lay in the form of the ICC T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in October.
"Cancellation is a distant dream. The board is positive to stage IPL at some point later this year," a board official had said.
Full article: BCCI is planning to have IPL during September-October
1 April: BCCI looking at a truncated IPL, likely in October
In less than a day of that, reports surfaced that BCCI were trying their level best to make IPL one of the first sports tournaments to take place after normalcy is restored. A BCCI official confirmed to Sportskeeda that IPL 2020 wasn't going to be scrapped, and that a truncated version could take place in October.
“It is incorrect to say that IPL is cancelled for the year. The board is committed to staging the event because a lot of money is riding on it. It is not about the BCCI alone, the suppliers, vendors and all other stakeholders are waiting for this event to happen," the source said.
Shortly before that, Rajasthan Royals’ promoter Manoj Badale had also hinted that we could be looking at a shorter version of the T20 league this year.
"I think we will have some form of tournament this year. It will probably be a shortened tournament. As long as people are prepared to be creative and as long as boards are prepared to work together collaboratively, it [IPL] is hugely important to the game of cricket," Badale had said.
Full articles: A truncated IPL likely in October, Rajasthan Royals owner drops hint about IPL 2020 dates
10 April: BCCI "very hopeful" of hosting IPL 2020
Sportskeeda's sources broke the news of BCCI looking at a 60-day window towards the end of August for a truncated IPL, assuming things returned to normal. The source also claimed that cancellation of the league was far away from the minds of the team owners.
"BCCI is extremely hopeful of staging the event," the source said. "It won't be nice to charge the broadcaster if the IPL is cancelled. Of course, the event is insured and it is a matter of deliberation if IPL is cancelled. The board will try and host the event the moment things are normalised as early as August-end to November."
The source added that IPL 2020 will be staged before the T20 World Cup, if the ICC went ahead with the mega event.
"Technically, if the World T20 happens, then the IPL is definitely happening before that if not later."
Full article: BCCI "very hopeful" of hosting IPL 2020
16 April: BCCI confirms indefinite suspension of IPL 2020
On 16 April, BCCI released an official statement confirming that IPL 2020 is indefinitely postponed.
A BCCI official told Sportskeeda that the temporary suspension of IPL 2020 was done keeping in mind the safety of the players and the fans, and also to adhere to the guidelines given by the Indian government.
However, he also mentioned that BCCI were working towards a window from September onwards to stage the IPL, provided the situation got back to normal.
"BCCI is looking towards the end of the year for a window, probably September onwards," the source said. "As of now, seeing the current world situation they do not want to take any hasty step that will affect the future of the sport or the people of India."
Full article: IPL 2020 indefinitely suspended, no cancellation yet
IPL 2020: current possibilities
16 April: IPL 2020 could be held behind closed doors
The same day that BCCI confirmed the IPL was indefinitely postponed, a team official told Sportskeeda that the franchises were deliberating a closed doors tournament without the fans and overseas players.
However, the official also added that there were divided opinions on the feasibility of such an alternative. Having a multi-million event without the presence of fans and foreign stars is a big risk, according to some.
"The biggest challenge is to conduct the IPL this season," the official said. "However, the current situation is quite grim and it doesn't look so simple. If at all the event is conducted, the people may not be allowed to watch the games live. But as more than 90 percent of the IPL audience in on TV and the internet, it won't be a big issue other than losing the gate receipts. It is still so much better than cancelling the IPL this season."
Full article: IPL 2020 could be held behind closed doors
17 April: Possibility of IPL 2020 taking place in Sri Lanka
In a quick response, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has officially sent a proposal to BCCI to host IPL 2020 in the island nation. The team officials and the BCCI have received a heartfelt response from SLC, which has garnered a positive response from various quarters.
Shammi Silva, president of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, confirmed to the local media that an official proposal to host IPL 2020 had been sent to BCCI a week earlier.
"BCCI received a letter from the Sri Lankan cricket board about three days back, but they are yet to respond because, there is a lot of logistics required to host the IPL, and for that to happen the pandemic has to reduce in India," a source said.
"Their cricket chief has included specific data showing how the country is almost coronavirus free, and a detailed planned about stadiums that can host the teams. BCCI needs to understand whether the infrastructure in place is capable of taking up an event of this magnitude."
Full article: IPL 2020 to be held in Sri Lanka?
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