IPL 2020: Franchises want IPL 2020 to be held in its complete form, says Kolkata Knight Riders CEO

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After Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly revived the possibility of holding the IPL behind closed doors this year, Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore on Thursday asserted that all the franchises want the 13th edition of the IPL to be held in its complete form.

The IPL was postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus lockdown that came into force in March. But Ganguly on Thursday said BCCI is looking at ‘all options’ to hold the event this year.

“One thing that I feel strongly about and we feel strongly about is that we should not tinker with the quality of the product that we have,” Mysore told reporters in a virtual news conference.

“The quality of the product is what has made it really, really special. I think it is safe to say that the collective view is that we have to have the tournament in its full format, the same number of games, with all the players part of it.”

There were rumours that overseas players would not be allowed to partake in this year’s IPL due to the traveling restrictions, but all franchise owners prefer the opposite.

“I think the majority of the franchises, I know there are one or two who have answered it slightly differently, but when I talk to them offline, they say that they were misquoted,” Mysore said.

“I would hope that whichever window, we end up staging the IPL that we’ll be in a position to achieve that.

“I think it is without doubt that the IPL as a product has become the biggest spectacle, the biggest product which has caught the imagination not only of India as a country but the world at large.

“It is primarily our Indian players who are the backbone of any team.

“But I think we should recognise that when you look at even our own team, a Sunil Narine, an Andre Russell, an Eoin Morgan and now Pat Cummins come as a combination to our excellent lineup that we have on the Indian side, makes it really special.

The IPL was scheduled to commence from March 29 but was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is being speculated that the tournament might be played in the October-November window if the ICC decides to postpone the T20 World Cup.