IPL 2020 update: UAE readies itself in case tournament is shifted, BCCI to discuss way forward today

The blueprint to conduct the Indian Premier League (IPL), amid rising coronavirus cases in India, will be topmost on the agenda of Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Apex Council, which will meet virtually on July 17.

The big-ticket tournament, which had earlier been scheduled to start on March 29 in Mumbai, was pushed to April 15 after the COVID-19 outbreak in India and the consequent lockdown.

It was, however, suspended in April till further notice after cases in India continued to rise and the nationwide lockdown was extended.

>> The Council will discuss the way forward for the IPL, which stands indefinitely postponed due to the health crisis. The BCCI has zeroed in on a September-early November window for the league.

>> The IPL is looking to grab the September-October window since there is immense uncertainty surrounding the fate of the October 18 to November 15 T20 World Cup in Australia.

>> BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has reiterated on several occasions that he is keen to ensure that the IPL does take place this year even if it has to be taken abroad. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to take a call on the fate of the T20 World Cup by next week.

>> Indian cricketers have been confined to mostly their homes since March due to a national lockdown and only recently some of them have started individual net practice.

>> A BCCI official told news agency PTI that while they are not in a position to fix venues "in situation which is so fluid," the "plans and the tentative window needs to be ready so that once ICC makes a formal announcement of T20 World Cup (scheduled for October-November) cancellation next week, we can proceed."