IPL franchises' conference call a 'stock-taking exercise'

While the BCCI has agreed to give a weekly update to the franchises, the con-call came as a bit of a surprise for the IPL authorities.

The IPL was scheduled to begin on March 29 but has now been pushed to April 15.

Top executives from all eight Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises interacted in a conference call on Monday evening. While multiple franchise representatives referred to the call as a “stock-taking exercise”, the interaction has raised a few eyebrows. After suspending the IPL till April 15 on Friday due to COVID-19 outbreak, the BCCI hierarchy had a detailed meeting with owners of all the eight teams. While the BCCI has agreed to give a weekly update to the franchises, the con-call came as a bit of a surprise for the IPL authorities. “Perhaps it’s a ploy to create an impression of posing a united front, should it come to the worst possible scenario of cancelling IPL and negotiating with the BCCI for possible financial losses,” said an IPL insider.

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No choice

An IPL official had revealed to Sportstar that the uncertainty revolving around the nature of the coronavirus calamity left the BCCI with no choice but to defer the start for now. “If at all the IPL starts, it would be around April 20 but the decision will be made around April 10. If the tournament doesn’t start by April 20, it will have to be deferred till the next year,” the official said, citing anonymity. According to the official, the “six-week window from April 21 till May 31” is suffice to host 60 matches with “multiple double-headers”. But the decision will depend on the “extent of the virus infection by first week of April”.