IPL could happen in October-November window: Anshuman Gaekwad

Anshuman Gaekwad, the former Indian cricketer, reckons that chances of the T20 World Cup taking place this year are remote. Earlier, former Australian batsman Mark Taylor, opined that with travel restrictions in place, hosting the tournament could be a daunting task. In the last couple of months or so, the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc and has affected cricket as well.

Gaekwad, who played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India, didn’t sound overly optimistic about the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). The T20 event has been postponed for an indefinite time period. The 67-year-old is of the opinion that October-November is the window if the IPL takes place this year.

If WC gets cancelled, then only the IPL can happen, says Anshuman Gaekwad

“I have my doubts that T20 WC will be held this year. About IPL, we cannot think of just now. It will depend on Indian conditions and the window is only during this T20 WC which is October-November,” Gaekwad was quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI).

But as per him, the situation in India would also determine if the IPL takes place. “If the World Cup gets cancelled or postponed, then only IPL can happen but then also it depends on what the conditions are in India,” he stated.

The Bombay-born Gaekwad feels that the sport won’t be the same like before going into the future. At a time when social gatherings  aren’t the ways forward, he said that the sport could be played behind closed doors.

“Cricket is not going to be the same, the approach would be different. There will be no crowd in the stadiums. Cricketers are not used to play in empty stadiums. It will be one very difficult aspect of playing new type of cricket,” he added.

Moreover, Gaekwad said that the world would have to wait for around four months before action restarts. “It may take another two months or four months or more to resume cricket,” Gaekwad added.

Recently, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket committee recommended banning the usage of saliva to shine the cricket leather. The development has worried a lot of cricketers, mostly the fast bowlers, including Josh Hazlewood and others.