New Zealand Cricket denies offering to host IPL 2020 season

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has rubbished the reports of them, wishing to host the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The cash-rich T20 tournament was scheduled to get underway on March 29, but the COVID-19 pandemic ended up playing spoilsport. The lockdowns across the country made sure that the BCCI waited for an apt window for the league.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sri Lanka are also said to have offered to host the 2020 IPL. A couple of days ago, a senior official from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on conditions of anonymity, talked about the tournament, taking place in New Zealand.

“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,” the official was quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI).

“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.

No IPL 2020 in New Zealand

But NZC has been clear cut in saying that they haven’t taken any step. “The report is simply speculation. We have not offered to host the IPL nor have we had an approach to do so,” Richard Boock, an NZC spokesperson, told to RNZ.

For the time being, chances of the IPL, taking place in India look glum. The country is third on the list after Brazil and the United States of America (USA) as far as coronavirus affected cases are concerned. The IPL has been held abroad in the past.

In 2009, South Africa played hosts to the tournament when India was busy in conducting elections. Then in 2014, the first-half of the IPL took place in the UAE after which the second part came back to the India.

Due to the pandemic situation in the country, the BCCI has clearly indicated that the event could take place outside the country. The world’s richest cricket board is also waiting for the ICC to take a call on the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia.