While the 13th season of Indian Premier League is finally set to begin from September 19, a petition has been filed in Bombay High Court to stop the tournament. The advocate Abhishek Lagoo said that he does not want the league to be held outside India.
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The petition
An advocate named Abhishek Lagoo has reportedly filed a petition to stop the IPL to be held outside India. Lagoo explained that as a big cricket fan he cannot see the T20 leagues being held outside India. He also opined that the league in case held in India could have generated more revenue. Last year IPL had a brand value of INR 475 million which was expected to increase further this season but the outbreak of the coronavirus changed the scenario. The petition said, “The IPL is not a charity event. The pandemic has created grave difficulties for all businesses. Holding the IPL in India would prove to be a great economic booster which the country needs desperately.”
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The petition further mentioned that the central and state government have allowed several relaxations since the lockdown began. So the arrangements for the IPL could have been managed inside the country keeping all the measures in place. The petition is expected to be heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Revati Mohite Dere on August 18.
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Why not in India?
The Indian Premier League 2020 was initially planned to be held from March 29. In the wake of the COVID-19, the entire plan was changed. But the Indian cricket board was eager to host the tournament in India. Even the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly in a number of interviews mentioned the same. But the COVID-19 situation in India is still not under control. In such a situation hosting the league inside the country could have made the thing worse. The international borders of the country are still closed which means the overseas players cannot come to India to join IPL.
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So keeping everything in mind eventually the BCCI set a 53-day window for the league and take the league outside the country. The IPL 2020 is now going to be held between September 19 and November 10 in three places of the UAE.
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