Coronavirus | IPL 2020 could be held in October or November if T20 World Cup gets postponed

BCCI Apex council member and former international cricketer and Indian team coach Anshuman Gaekwad on Wednesday said that there are possibilities the T20 World Cup will likely not be held this year making way for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 to take place instead. Initially scheduled to take place in April and May, IPL 2020 as every other major sporting event across the globe, has been affected due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought normal life to a complete standstill around the world. He said the chances of IPL happening in October or November also depends on the conditions around India.

Gaekwad said, "I have my doubts that the T20 World Cup will be held this year. About IPL, we cannot think of it just now. It will depend on Indian conditions and the window is only during this T20 WC, which is October-November,". He added, "If the World Cup gets canceled or postponed, then only IPL can happen, but then also it depends on what the conditions are in India,".

The former Indian coach also went on to speak about cricket in a post COVID-19 world saying the sport will be completely different as a result of the absence of crowds and that players will need to be mentally strong once they resume playing. Gaekwad said, "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 playing in empty stadiums,". He added, "It will be one very difficult aspect of playing a new type of cricket. It may take another two months or four months or more to resume cricket. It is not theory that you can read and write. You have to perform so nothing is going to be easy. If you are not mentally strong, it will not be easy."