No cricket in India in the near future: Ganguly

While the ICC and BCCI have been deliberating over the fate of the T20 World Cup that has been scheduled to take place from October 18 to November 15 in Australia and the IPL 2020 that was rescheduled to begin on April 15 respectively, BCCI’s president Sourav Ganguly has made it clear that cricket in India shall not happen anytime in the near future.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has raised global concern over people’s health and overall economy, Sourav Ganguly has stated that nothing is worth risking human lives. “The social reality of Germany and India are different, there will be no cricket in India in the near future. There are too many ifs and buts involved. More importantly, I don’t believe in sport when there is a risk to human life,” Ganguly reportedly told a news agency. Meanwhile, regarding the future of the T20 World Cup set to happen in Australia, ICC’s Chief Executive Officer Sawhney reportedly stated, “In relation to ICC events, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, we will continue to take advice from experts and authorities, including the Australian government. We will utilize all of the data and information available to us to ensure we can take responsible decisions around all competitions at an appropriate time that are in the best interests of our sport.”

The COVID-19 pandemic had Australia sealing its borders and imposing travel ban in attempts to contain the spread of the virus and since the future over the virus remains uncertain, there have been speculations that the tournament might be postponed to next year or conducted within closed doors.