'Every country likes to make money' - Zaheer Abbas backs BCCI's decision to hold IPL this year

Pakistan cricket legend and former ICC President Zaheer Abbas has backed the Indian Cricket Board’s (BCCI) decision to stage the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The tournament is all set to commence from September 19 with the grand finale expected to be held on November 10. After the cancellation of this year’s T20 World Cup 2020 which was scheduled from October 18, the cash-rich league is all groomed to take up its place.

Zaheer Abbas believes that it is essential for the cricket boards to make money through these T20 franchise leagues. The BCCI will earn up to USD 500 million by staging the IPL. In fact, not just IPL, even the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 is also set to take place behind closed doors from August 18 at two venues in Trinidad and Tobago and Pakistan great feels it would great to make money through such leagues during the trying times.

“Every country likes to play T20 matches to make money. Every country, you know, I am not talking only about India, but all of us because there is so much money involved in these tournaments these days,” Zaheer Abbas told the Khaleej Times.

Cricket boards have so many commitments to fulfil: Zaheer Abbas

While leading Pakistani cricketers including Shoaib Akhtar criticized the entire augmentation, Abbas opined that the BCCI has the right to make money using IPL, especially during these financially trailing times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also quoted the commitments of the boards towards sponsors and broadcasters. 

“They (the cricket boards) have so much commitments which they have to fulfil. As you know, the teams coming from the West Indies and Pakistan to England for the Test series, they were in quarantine for some time and they (the West Indies and England) played without a crowd,” said the 73-year-old.

Holder of a unique record to his name, Zaheer Abbas was the first batsman to score three consecutive centuries in ODI’s in 1982/83. He concluded by saying that every cricket-playing country would like to make some money and for that matter, all the cricket playing nations should help each other.