Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR) owner Manoj Badale on Thursday said that rescheduling the postponed Indian Premier League’s 14th season (IPL) will be a real challenge as most teams have already locked in their international calendars.
Notably on May 4, the IPL 2021 season was suspended due to a rising number of Covid-19 cases in the tournament’s secured bio-bubble.
“I think the challenge is just finding space and calendar. The players are already playing too much cricket. The calendars are incredibly packed, and particularly this year after COVID-19, boards from around the world are trying to get as many competitions and as many Test matches in as possible,” said Badale in a webinar organised by RR.
“I think it’s going to be a real challenge. There’s a possibility. I think it’s a small possibility of something in September in the UK or possibly something in the Middle East, either side of the T20 World Cup, but I think it’s going to be a real challenge,” he added.
Earlier, managing director of the England men’s team — Ashley Giles had hinted that Three Lions’ players might not be available for the remainder of this edition of the IPL if it gets rescheduled for sometime later this year.
“We’ve got a full FTP schedule. So if those tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh [in September and October] are going ahead, I’d expect the players to be there,” ESPNcricinfo had quoted Giles as saying.
“The New Zealand scenario was very different. Those Test matches were formalised at the end of January, by which time all those contracts and NOCs [no objection certificates] were signed for full involvement in the IPL,” he further said.