MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India is hopeful of hosting the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League at home in its traditional April-May slot, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said.
IPL 2020, which has only the final between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals remaining to conclude the tournament, was shifted to the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is being held behind closed doors.
“Yeah, absolutely. April-May we’ll have another one [IPL 2021 season],” Ganguly told India Today.
“The UAE was only for the IPL. We will host England in India. We will host domestic cricket in India. Ranji Trophy, we will create a bio bubble and we will do it.
“We’ll be fine. ISL is starting in November in Goa. The worry is not there anymore and the IPL has helped a lot,” Ganguly added.
England are expected to tour India in February after the team returns from Australia.
Women’s IPL with 7-8 franchise owned teams in ‘couple of years’ time’
In his interview, the former Team India captain also sounded a positive note on the possibility of a separate Women’s IPL with franchise owned teams in the next “couple of years”.
“At the present moment, there are only three teams in the women’s IPL and I believe that in a couple of years’ time we will be good enough to have a separate IPL with seven teams, eight teams like the franchise-based teams for the women as well,” Ganguly told India Today.
“Women’s cricket all around the world has taken off. You see the women’s T20 World Cup final in Australia this year. They had 80,000 people at the MCG which is as good as having a men’s final and India has done well where two back-to-back finals in England they lost and they lost at the MCG this year, so it’s very important that we continue with the talent, it’ll only get bigger,” he noted.
