Have requested Sourav Ganguly to host IPL in India instead of UAE, reveals Aditya Verma
IPL petitioner Aditya Verma has revealed that in a letter to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, he has requested him to try and host the IPL in India instead of hosting it in the Middle East. He has also pointed out that the Indian board could try their level best to host it in Mumbai.
Whilst the schedule and the venue of the cash-rich Indian Premier League is all but set in stone, with the tournament starting on September 19 in the UAE, Aditya Verma has requested the BCCI’s president Ganguly to host it in India itself. However, over the past few days, there have been concerns about the Dubai Rugby Sevens, an annual event in the country
The original petitioner in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, Aditya has further pointed out that if Dubai Rugby Sevens can be delayed to a further date, why not the IPL? However, the government of India is still yet to give the final clearance before BCCI hosts the 2020 edition of the IPL in the Middle East.
"The Dubai Rugby Sevens is a big event in the UAE and they had to postpone it when it was supposed to be held in November. So how can we take the IPL to UAE? I have written to Dada (Ganguly) and requested him to have IPL in India," Verma told PTI, reported TOI.
He also revealed that the board could try their level-best to host the entire tournament in Mumbai, with just Indian players incase the foreign counterparts do not turn up for the event. On the other hand, he admitted that IPL in India would ultimately uplift the mood of the Indian public during the testing times.
"They can at least try their best to do it in Mumbai. We have 60 plus foreigners. If they are not willing to come, we can replace them with Indian players," Verma suggested.
"An IPL in India would help to uplift the mood of the common public which is already stressed by COVID-19. If we can hold a successful IPL in India in these times, it will be a huge achievement," he signed off.