NZC will need to reschedule domestic season if IPL is held in October, believes Ish Sodhi
Ish Sodhi, spin consultant of Rajasthan Royals, feels that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will have no option but to reschedule their domestic season in case the IPL is pushed to October. Sodhi believes that all Kiwi cricketers must get a chance to partake in both the IPL and in domestic competitions.
The likelihood of the postponement of the World T20, that was to be held in Australia in October and November, has given birth to talks of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) instead being potentially held in the same window, with several former cricketers and experts alike vouching for the same. And as admitted by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, the Indian board, too, are aiming to do the same and believe that it would make more sense for the IPL to be prioritized over the World T20.
And New Zealand cricketer Ish Sodhi, who is also the spin bowling consultant of the Rajasthan Royals franchise, has now opined that in case of the IPL getting pushed to a October / November window, NZC might have to look at rescheduling their domestic season, which usually kick-starts in October with the Plunket Shield.
"Cricket is New Zealand's summer game that starts in October and ends in April. I don't know but if IPL is held in October-November, then New Zealand Cricket (NZC) needs to find out a way to balance their domestic calendar also," Sodhi told PTI.
Sodhi, who plies his trade with Northern Districts in domestic cricket, stated that rescheduling of the domestic season might have to be done in order to ensure that the best national players feature in both the local domestic competitions and the IPL. Sodhi, who is a part of Rajasthan Royals, aside, the Kiwis also have the likes of Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Jimmy Neesham who are all part of different IPL franchises.
"Look, NZC over the past few years have kept a dedicated window for IPL. Again, you want your best players to play domestic cricket and at the same time you don't want them to lose out on an opportunity to play the Indian Premier League, which is easily the best T20 league in the world," opined Sodhi, who also runs the Royals podcast for the IPL franchise.