IPL 2021: "Money talks at the end of the day"- Mark Butcher on whether IPL can be held later this year

Mark Butcher believes there is no possible window available for the BCCI to conduct the remainder of the IPL this year given the packed international calendar. However, the former England batsman will not be surprised if the organizers of the IPL get their way, given the amount of money riding on the tournament.

The IPL was postponed indefinitely after cases of the Coronavirus emerged from various camps.

Mark Butcher recently weighed in on whether the IPL can be conducted this year and told Cricket.com:

"My thinking is I don't think you can (Complete the IPL this year). The T20 World Cup will hopefully be in India in October. The Indian cricket team is going to be in England… June, July August. All international sides will have their warm-ups, matches, tour etc. in preparation for the World Cup. And then the international calendar rolls on."

Butcher highlighted that given the various COVID-19 related protocols, players could not just fly from one place to another to play.

"Money talks at the end of the day. But as I said, the rest of the international teams have got schedules and build-up to the World Cup. And you have to factor in that it isn't about just flying in to play the matches. You have to quarantine when you get there and get back," said Butcher, who played 71 Tests for England.

UPDATE: The Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an emergency meeting has unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season with immediate effect.Details - https://t.co/OgYXPj9FQy pic.twitter.com/lYmjBId8gL

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2021

Before the IPL was suspended, the Delhi Capitals led the points table with six wins out of eight games. Chennai Super Kings, who managed a turnaround from last year, were placed second.

If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to Rs 2,500 crore: Sourav Ganguly

The BCCI would like to thank everyone involved in organising IPL 2021 even in these extremely difficult times.A special thanks to our fans without whom this would not have been possible. We urge everyone to stay safe and take care. 🙏🙏#VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/4Uh1zOAIjn

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 5, 2021

Everyone is aware that the IPL is a money-spinning machine for the BCCI and the organizers rely heavily on it for revenue. Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, recently estimated how much of a loss they would incur if the IPL season is not completed.

"If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to Rs 2,500 crore. That is going by early estimates,” Ganguly said in an interaction with The Telegraph.

The BCCI is reportedly looking at a window around September to play the remainder of the tournament. Sourav Ganguly also hinted at the same but added that it's a long process and they will slowly start working on getting the tournament back on track.