We are open to shortened IPL with only Indian players: Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) Chief Executive Ranjit Barthakur said that they are ready for a shortened version of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Due to the ‘extraordinary times’, the CEO was also read for the T20 tournament to take place without its foreign players. The massive coronavirus pandemic has forced the IPL authorities to firstly postpone the start from March 29 to April 15.

But now with the 21-day lockdown in India until April 14, the entry of foreign players in the country is restricted. For the time being, there’s no further update from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the fate of the upcoming IPL. The Royals’ CEO reckoned that the BCCI will be coming to a decision, bearing in mind the best interests of the franchises.

It is better to have an Indians-only IPL: Royals’ CEO

“We are open to a shortened tournament with only Indian players, at the end of the day it is the Indian Premier League. These are extraordinary times and the BCCI will do the best it can when things improve,” Barthakur was quoted as saying in Hindustan Times.

“Earlier we could not think of an Indians-only IPL but now there is enough quality to choose from. It is better to have an Indians-only IPL than not at all. When can we have it? That BCCI decides. And I think that call be taken only post 15th April,” he added.

Last weekend, Manoj Badale, the Royals’ majority owner admitted that the IPL “pales into insignificance in terms of things we should be really be thinking about right now”.

The COVID-19 virus has infected over 8,50,000 people across the globe with 42,000 of them losing their lives. In India, in excess of 1,600 cases have been reported besides 40 death. The BCCI has donated INR 51 crore for the ones affected in the debacle.

The novel virus has affected cricket globally as well, so much so that the England and Australia players are bracing for pay cuts. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has put forth a package of 61 million pounds to cope with the abject financial implications.