We will host the Ranji and 2021 IPL in India with a bio-bubble, insists Sourav Ganguly

With just 2 matches left for the conclusion of IPL 2020, it certainly proved to be a massive success for BCCI to pull off such an extravagant event with such ease. The final of IPL 2020 is slated to happen on November 10 and the anticipation for the next season has already begun with the next season set to be played in India itself as the pandemic wears off. 

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly insisted that the IPL 2021 season would be staged in April and May along with the domestic cricket starting soon and the venue will be India as he assured that UAE was just a one-off arrangement for IPL 2020 alone. He added that IPL has helped a lot in removing the scare of the pandemic. 

“Yeah, absolutely. April, May we’ll have another one [IPL 2021 season],” Ganguly told India Today.

“No, no it’s not true [the speculations]. The UAE was only for the IPL. Yeah, yeah. We will host England in India. We will host the domestic cricket in India. Ranji Trophy, we will create bio bubble and we will do it. We’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. ISL starting in November in Goa, we’ll be fine. The scare, that is not there anymore and the IPL has helped a lot.” 

Ganguly went on to praise the quality of cricket in IPL compared with other leagues and attributed fans to be the key factor in the success of IPL. He revealed that he used to get regular calls from the owner to enquire about IPL - such is their passion for cricket. 

“Yeah absolutely, it’s the quality of cricket [in the IPL], it’s the madness about cricket in this country. It’s the fans who actually make it successful. And the competition. It’s the quality of player, you go around and see the leagues in the world and I respect them, but this is different [the IPL],” Ganguly said.

“See the competition, the owners are obsessed with their teams. They are just obsessed with their IPL team. I remember when this COVID was going on and I used to get calls from the owners ‘we must do the IPL’ and ‘how can IPL not happen’ but I said ‘we have to look at the coronavirus’ but he said ‘no no everything will be fine but IPL has to happen, we’ll die without cricket’ - so it’s that intensity which is remarkable,” Ganguly said about how much these franchises mean to their owners.”