- The IPL clash between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was halted on Thursday
- Neighbours India and Pakistan have been locked in conflict since Wednesday
- ECB chief Richard Gould has vowed to help his counterparts at the BCCI
England were not ruling out hosting the remainder of the Indian Premier League on Friday as their players flew home from the suspended tournament.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould has vowed to help his counterparts at the BCCI ‘where we can,’ following the seven-day hiatus due to escalating hostility between India and Pakistan.
Indian cricket chiefs will weigh up their options over the coming week, but in offering their ‘full support’ the ECB have provided food for thought – the IPL has moved abroad before, notably twice during Covid and in 2009 when it shifted to South Africa to avoid running during India’s elections.
Some of the 10 English cricketers – whose number include Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell and Moeen Ali – were booked on flights out of India from late Thursday ahead of the official announcement on Friday morning that the remaining 12 games of the competition’s group stage and the knockout matches were being postponed.
Others were considering making the shorter hop to Dubai and waiting to see how the situation develops over the coming days.
‘Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders,’ read an IPL statement.
The Indian Premier League has been halted for a week amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan
ECB chief executive Richard Gould has vowed to help his counterparts at the BCCI ‘where we can’
Jos Buttler is among the 10 England players who were booked on flights out of India from late Thursday ahead of the official announcement
The IPL final is slated for May 25 in Kolkata, but putting things back seven days will send it into June. Further delays, seemingly inevitable, would jeopardise England’s summer schedule.
However, an ECB spokesperson said that they were still expecting India’s five-Test tour here beginning next month ‘to go ahead as planned’.
The benefit of resuming the 10-team competition here would be that India’s players – due to arrive on British soil in the second week of June – would be on the ground and acclimatised ahead of the first Test at Headingley on June 20.
