New Zealand offers to host IPL

The way things are unfolding, it’s not just India but a lot of other countries which want the Indian Premier League to happen this year. After Sri Lanka and the UAE offered to host the tournament, a new country has thrown the hat in the ring.

If reports are to be believed, New Zealand, which has largely been Coronavirus free, has offered to host the cash-rich league. 

The BCCI has already finalized the window for the league and is waiting for the ICC to make the final announcement about this year’s T20 World Cup. If the multi-nation tournament is postponed, the Indian board might conduct the tournament in the available September-early November window.

“Staging the event in India has to be the first choice but in case it is not safe to have it, then we will look at the overseas options. After UAE and Sri Lanka, New Zealand has also offered to host the IPL,” a senior BCCI official told news agency PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“We will sit down with all stakeholders (broadcaster, teams, etc) and take a call. The safety of the players is paramount. There will be no compromise on that,” the official said.

In the past also, the IPL has been conducted overseas. The entire 2009 edition was staged in South Africa due to the general election in India while the first few games of the 2014 edition were held in UAE due to the same reason.

For now, the UAE seems to be the front-runner to host the tournament if it happens overseas. Sri Lanka will be lighter on the pocket for the BCCI but rains remian a concern during the available window. New Zealand, on the other hand, poses feasibility issues.

The time difference between the two countries is seven and a half hours which takes out the possibility of cashing in on the prime-time audience. 

The official added that the date of the IPL Governing Council meeting will be announced soon. The meeting will discuss various issues including the Chinese sponsorship deals in the IPL.