Not hosting IPL will cause loss to the tune of Rs. 4,000 crore: Sourav Ganguly
May 15, 2020
Reference: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/ipl/sourav-ganguly-ipl-loss-coronavirus-6411307/
Former India skipper and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly highlighted the financial constraints that the cricket board will face if the Indian Premier League (IPL) is not held this year. He also hinted that if the cash-rich league is cancelled then the cricket governing body will probably implement pay cuts among its employees.
“We will have to examine our financial situation, see how much money we have and take a call. Not hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) will cause losses to the tune of Rs. 4,000 crore which is huge,” Ganguly said during an interaction with Mid Day.
“If the IPL takes place, we won’t have to go in for pay cuts. We’ll manage things,” he added.
Speaking on hosting the IPL matches behind close doors, the former cricketer said that the attraction would be less and recalled an incident from his cricketing career, when the team played without spectators.
“Yes, the attraction will be less. I remember playing in such a scenario [when spectators were not allowed in for the final day after crowd disturbances at Eden Gardens] at the Asian Test Championship game against Pakistan in 1999 and there was a clear lack of excitement.”
“If you have matches with a restricted amount of crowds, not only would strict social distancing rules apply, the officials would also have to be very careful about how the spectators leave the galleries for home. The policing will have to be very strict. It’s a tough call and the situation we find ourselves in, is grave,” Ganguly added.
The IPL was scheduled to take place from March 29, but it has now been postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus pandemic.
