Cricket Board of India (BCCI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rahul Johri has said that serious cricketing activities will start only after the monsoon but he is 'optimistic' about the Indian Premier League (IPL) event this year. Johri reiterated that the safety of the players is of paramount importance and amid the unprecedented security crisis due to the Coronavirus epidemic, it should be left to the individual players to decide what is best for them. During a webinar organized by Twenty-First Century Media on Wednesday, Johri said, "Every person has the right to decide on his own safety and it should be respected." He said, 'Government of India will guide us in this whole matter, we will follow the guidelines of the government. Practically serious cricket activities will start only after the monsoon.
In India, the monsoon lasts from June to September. There is speculation that the IPL could be held in October-November if the T20 World Cup in Australia is postponed. Johri said, "We hope that things will improve and more options will be available which will be under our control and we will take decisions accordingly." In the context of the IPL, Johri said that he was not only in favor of holding tournaments with Indian players, which was suggested due to the ban on international flights due to the epidemic.
But he gave information about many problems that may have to be faced due to following new safety rules to minimize the risk of infection. He said, "The fun of IPL is that the best players from all over the world come and play here and all are committed to uphold this importance." Of course this will be a step by step process, so you cannot expect things to be normal tomorrow. Johri said, "We have to see what the government's advice is." Airline is not running right now. One time the airline will start and everyone has to keep themselves apart before the game starts. He said, 'How will this affect the program as the program is already very busy?' There is talk of 14-day segregation under mandatory security measures, which is likely to have a major impact on the program.
Johri also mentioned the challenges that the board may have to face during the long domestic session of India. India's domestic season runs from October to May with over 2000 matches played. He said, "In this changing environment, there is a need to revisit domestic cricket completely because a team may have to travel 50 km and 3000 km to play a match." Johri said, 'All teams take on other teams on their own and opponent's ground. In this situation when travel is banned how can you organize these leagues. We discussed this and interesting options will emerge. Newness will be important in this.
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