CHENNAI: Nation under lockdown for at least two more weeks and no certainty over the return of normalcy, the BCCI is still to make an announcement on IPL. It was suspended until April 15 and a decision was expected by now. As things stand, a statement is likely soon.

It is learnt that the board headed by Sourav Ganguly will postpone the 13th edition indefinitely, but not call it off for the year. That’s because they are still hopeful of a small window if the T20 World Cup doesn’t take place in Australia in October-November. Pushing the IPL back to 2021 will be the last option, even though chances of hosting it this year are slim.

“If the T20 World Cup is called off in the next few months, there may be a slot for IPL between September and November. That’s the only possibility which can be explored. And that’s why the IPL hasn’t been cancelled until now. But since priorities are different at the moment, not much has been discussed about it yet,” said an official close to developments.

Staging the IPL in the period mentioned will come with its own set of obstacles. The BCCI, franchises, broadcasters and advertisers may be okay with the idea of playing in empty stadiums. But a full-fledged IPL with international players will not be possible until travel restrictions are lifted in a number of countries.There are other problems. The other boards will have to release players for at least 30 days even if the duration of IPL is reduced. It’s not known what they would be planning in terms of bilateral series if the T20 World Cup is called off. Also, the Indian domestic season will start in late September. Senior men’s tournaments will become meaningless if players are called up for IPL.

“It needs a lot of dialogue involving boards of several countries. The BCCI has to be convinced that players will be available before working out fresh dates. It also has to assess how the IPL will affect the domestic calendar in October-November. This needs discussion in details, which are still to take place due to the situation,” added the official.

Some of the franchises have also started thinking that chances of having an IPL in 2020 are not high. “A lot of things will have to fall in place in quick time. At the moment, that looks unlikely. It’s difficult to predict, but we can see that chances are slim,” said a franchise official.

If the IPL is deferred by a year, the arrangement with Star Sports will also have to be reviewed. In the five-year deal, the broadcasters are committed to pay BCCI around `3200 crore per year. It is still to be sorted whether and how the contract will be extended by a year in case the IPL doesn’t end up happening this year.