The BCCI is looking at a big revenue loss if the IPL doesn’t take place: BCCI Treasurer
The coronavirus pandemic has brought all the major sporting events to a standstill, and multiple nations have enforced lockdown protocols to contain this virus. The fate of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 still remains uncertain. Various cricket boards are now facing economic uncertainties for which the BCCI has told it will be lending a helping hand once the situation gets better.
IPL 2020 was originally scheduled to start on 29th March but was suspended until further notice owing to the pandemic. BCCI treasurer, Arun Dhumal told AFP that if the IPL doesn’t take place this year, they’ll be looking at a huge revenue loss.
"The BCCI is looking at a big revenue loss. In case the IPL does not take place, the loss would be close to 40 billion rupees ($530 million), or even more," board treasurer Arun Dhumal told AFP. With no new window in sight at this stage, Dhumal admitted, "We are not sure whether we will be able to have it this year."
"We will only be able to figure out the exact revenue loss once we are sure of how many games we have lost," he added.
The BCCI is financially healthier than other cricket boards. The Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI administrative regime said pay cut for players is the last thing that they would want to do on their end to make-up for the losses.
“That is why we are working (on) how much is the loss finally we have to pay? So once we are able to assess that then we might consider it, but it (pay cut) will be the last thing on our agenda," he added.
In an informal update on India's tour of Sri Lanka in June, Dhumal specially mentioned that there won’t be any compromise on the safety and health of the players.
"The safety and health of our cricketers is paramount without any shred of doubt, we (the BCCI) will not shy away from calling it off," said Dhumal.
Two of biggest cricketing events for India this season are the T20 World Cup and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, both of which are scheduled to take place later this year in Australia.
"In case we are already there for the T20 World Cup then there is no question of quarantine because we will already have been there for a month or so," said Dhumal.
"Cricket Australia are also not in a position to come up with something concrete. A lot will depend on the government and the travel bans in place. Let's see how they go about it."
What makes the IPL a cash-rich tournament? Here are some key aspects:
- The brand value of the IPL is estimated to be around $6.7 billion last year by the Duff and Phelps financial consultancy.
- The average attendance for an IPL match is 32,000.
- IPL 2019 season had 1.58 billion impressions and 424 million total viewership.
- Star Sports purchased the rights to air the IPL (2017-22) for $220 million.
- The IPL is also the most-watched sports league in India.
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