Sourav Ganguly has said the BCCI will try everything possible to hold the IPL in India.
The organisation’s president believes this year’s tournament could go ahead once a decision has been made by the ICC about the T20 World Cup.
It is looking more and more likely the T20 World Cup in Australia will be postponed, leaving a window of opportunity for the Indian Premier League to take its place in the calendar.
“(If the T20 World Cup gets cancelled) then we will try everything to stage the IPL. It is very important for Indian cricket. We will try to host it in India,” said Ganguly in an Instagram chat this week.
“The cancellation of T20 World Cup will happen soon because all countries are asking for a direction from ICC. We'll know by mid-July. My gut feeling is saying it's tough.”
Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings has already said the tournament is “unlikely” to be held this year due to quarantine issues around the coronavirus outbreak.
A decision on the fate of the T20 World Cup 2020 is likely to be made at the next ICC meeting on July 17.
Asia Cup 2020 has been cancelled
Ganguly also announced that the Asia Cup 2020 has been cancelled, despite no official word from the Asia Cricket Council (ACC).
The tournament was set to be held in the United Arab Emirates in September after India refused to travel to original hosts Pakistan.
The BCCI had said it didn’t mind Pakistan playing host to the Asia Cup, as long as it took place at a neutral venue.
“It's difficult to say which will be India's first international series,” added Ganguly.
“We've done our preparations, but we can't do much till we know the government rules. We are not in a hurry because the health of players is of the utmost importance. We are monitoring things monthly.”