No point playing IPL in front of empty stands, opines Madan Lal

The 2020 IPL season was originally scheduled to begin on March 29  but was postponed till April 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the entire nation is under a government-induced 21-day lockdown, ending April 14, the BCCI hasn’t officially announced about the fate of IPL 13. But it is believed that it is almost impossible to conduct the high-profile event in the near future. 

As opposed to the likes of Harbhajan Singh, who believes many lives depends on the IPL hence could be carried out in the absence of crowds, Madan Lal opined that there is no point in doing so. Lal, a part of India’s World Cup-winning squad of 1983 and a member of the current Cricket Advisory Committee, stated that any decision on the fate of the 13th edition of the IPL can be only be taken once normalcy is achieved. Lal opined that it’s meaningless to carry out the proceedings of the marquee T20 league without the presence of stadium crowds since the game is also about the fans and not just the players. 

“There’s no point in playing IPL matches in front of empty stands. It’s not just about the players and the fans, it’s about other people who are also involved in the process while travelling, organising, broadcasting, etc. “IPL is a big brand. But the board can only take a decision once the situation improves and coronavirus is gone,” Lal, who was part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, said.

"At the moment, it’s on upstage. So, no one is going to take a risk. Once coronavirus is gone, cricket can obviously take place because it’s such a popular sport and is loved by all. Even the players would like to play in front of crowds and that can only happen once the situation fully improves. Once the situation improves, other series will also take place and BCCI can totally recover for the lost time,” he added.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is also reportedly considering the October-November window to host the mega event. However, that would only be possible one the T20 World Cup if the ICC decides to push the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held from October 18 to November 15, in Australia.