New Zealand has offered to host IPL 2020: Top BCCI official

A top BCCI official has said that New Zealand has put forward a proposal for hosting the 2020 edition of the IPL. The news comes after UAE and Sri Lanka had signaled their intentions to host the marquee tournament.

IPL 2020 was supposed to take place from 29th March to the 24th of May but was suspended indefinitely due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

While the first priority would be to host the IPL in India, a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases has cast a significant cloud over that possibility.

With the T20 World Cup, which was scheduled for October-November 2020 likely to be postponed, the BCCI could be accorded a suitable window to conduct the IPL.

"Staging the event in India has to be the first choice but in case it is not safe to have it, then we will look at the overseas options. After UAE and Sri Lanka, New Zealand has also offered to host the IPL," a senior BCCI official told PTI.

Safety of players paramount before hosting IPL: BCCI official

Although there are talks about the IPL happening between the end of September and the start of November, the BCCI official said that there would be a bio-secure environment in place, with the players' safety being the top priority.

In the wake of COVID-19, the ICC also has laid down new rules and regulations, which include a ban on the usage of saliva to shine the ball and the introduction of COVID-19 substitutes.

"We will sit down with all stakeholders (broadcaster, teams, etc) and take a call. The safety of the players is paramount. There will be no compromise on that," the official said.

While New Zealand has emerged from the coronavirus rubble relatively unscathed, the country is seven-and-a-half hours ahead of India, meaning that people working in offices would miss the action.

Thus, UAE remains a more realistic location for hosting the IPL, considering it has previously hosted the competition (in 2014).

Sri Lanka on the other hand, remains another cost-effective option to host the IPL and another nation that wouldn't provide any time clashes.