With the lockdown being extended to 3rd May 2020 in India, unofficial news is that the IPL 2020 has been postponed for the indefinite period. In fact, the unspoken word is that the 13th edition of IPL may not even see daylight. As per the Cricket blogger’s analysis though, the show must transpire, even later than its scheduled time. Here are certain reasons why IPL 2020 is important for world cricket:
IPL 2020: Strategical Importance
Indian Premier League is the most followed T20 franchise in the cricket. This fact is helping the game of cricket in a couple of ways – 1. establishing the game’s presence in a wider audience and 2. attracting a new audience. For the future survival of cricket, establishing a new audience is way too important. And IPL is one event – besides various ICC events – that can help the game grow.
Moreover, it is the fattest paycheck for most cricketers. From a monetary perspective, the tournament will ensure:
1. The survival of domestic level cricketers in tough times of COVID-19
2. Better social contribution towards COVID-19 from well-established cricketers
IPL 2020: Pre-cursor to T20I World Cup
From the perspective of the T20I world cup – later this year in Australia – IPL is a pre-cursor for every participating nation. The IPL 2020 is the last large scale multi-team tournament experience before the T20I world cup. Hence, it is a tournament every player, coach and management looking forward to trying the permutations and combinations.
The giants of the game like Australia, India, England, West Indies, etc. have their eyes stick to the IPL performances of their players. Their IPL performance will play a major role in the T20I world cup squad selection later this year.
In addition, the presence of all big cricketers in the IPL means a learning trade for young talent. The experience of playing with and against these giants will be a bag of gold dust for the T20I world cup and beyond for the newcomers.
Interesting Read : COVID-19: Top Three International Careers on the line
Fate of Careers
As we already marked up in our COVID-19 coverage earlier this month, the non-occurrence of IPL 2020 may call for a premature end of some inspiring international careers. However, it is not just about those inspiring careers. Many Indian and international cricketers are considering IPL 2020 as an opportunity to revive their international careers. Especially with the T20I world cup around the corner. A Robin Uthappa is one such classic case. And we aren’t even detailing the case of those new talents that emerge from the depths of IPL every year.
Considering its strategical importance and for the sake of some careers, we at Cricket bloggers wish that IPL 2020 shall transpire, even in it’s curtailed version.
