Rajasthan Royals ready for mini IPL with only Indian players
Rajasthan Royals CEO Ranjit Barthakur said on Wednesday that short-term IPL with only Indian players would be good in this difficult time. He also revealed that the fate of this T20 league is not likely to be decided before April 15. Sports activities have come to a standstill due to the corona virus.
The Cricket Board of India (BCCI) is yet to decide on the league, which was postponed until at least 15 April in view of the Kovid-19 epidemic and the ban on foreign nationals entering India. As per earlier schedule, the tournament was to begin on March 29.
Barthakur said that we are ready for a small tournament with only Indian players. After all, it is the Indian Premier League itself. A lockdown has been put up across the country to stop the epidemic and it is unlikely to be organized due to the current situation. The BCCI, however, has the option of hosting the IPL at the end of the year by giving a series of bilateral series.
The Royals executive expressed hope that the BCCI will take a decision keeping the franchise’s best interests in mind. He said that this is an extraordinary time and BCCI will have to do its best to improve the situation. Barthakur said that earlier we could not only think of the IPL of Indian players, but now there are enough good players in India.
Instead of not having IPL, it would be better to organize tournaments with Indian players only. He said that the BCCI has to decide when the tournament can be held and I believe that it should be decided only after April 15.