Not conducting IPL means a straight blow of Rs 4,000 crore: BCCI

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in a bit of a fix, regarding the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). If the tournament doesn’t happen eventually, the board would undergo a massive loss of INR 4,000 crore. Moreover, they would also have to return INR 2,000 crore or extend the contracts of the media rights holder, title and other sponsors for another year.

The BCCI is clear cut in saying that the moves won’t go down well for the board. The IPL was earlier scheduled to get underway on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium, but the tournament had to be postponed due to the massive coronavirus pandemic. India is currently third in the last as far as COVID-19 affected cases are concerned.

“Not conducting IPL means a straight blow of Rs 4,000 crore to the board’s topline. We have already received advances of close to Rs 2,000 crore. Not delivering IPL will mean either we will have to give it back, or extend all the contracts by one year. Both the options are not in the favour of the board,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by the Economic Times.

We have a real chance for IPL 13 to materialise: BCCI

Earlier, the BCCI was waiting for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to make a call on the T20 World Cup in Australia. However, after both the Asia Cup and T20 WC was postponed, the doors opened up on the IPL.

“If we would have announced cancellation, Star would ask for a refund and matter would have reached the courts. Also, we were hopeful that the ICC will push the T20 World Cup and a window will be available. And nobody could foresee when the pandemic would subside. But now, we have a real chance for IPL 13 to materialise,” an official added.

The 2020 edition of the IPL is set to begin on September 19 with the final to take place on November 8. The franchises are expected to leave for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 20. The complete schedule for the tournament is yet to be released though. Indian cricket came to a halt after the cancelled ODI series against South Africa in March.