Whether the 2020 Indian Premier League will go ahead is set to be decided at an ICC meeting next week, amid concerns a cancellation could see the brand lose out on $1 billion.

The tournament was one of many major sporting events forced to be put on hold following the Covid-19 pandemic, and complications surrounding the cricket calendar have put the whole tournament in doubt with cricket administrators scrambling to find a suitable window to host the world’s most lucrative tournament.

With the World T20 scheduled to be held in Australia in October and India currently in the middle of monsoon season, it is highly unlikely that the IPL could be rescheduled for September while retaining the services of many high-profile overseas stars and cancelling the tournament altogether could cost the IPL brand up to $1 billion in revenue – placing a greater importance on next week’s ICC meeting on 10 June.

On the agenda will be the future of the World T20, and if the tournament is cancelled as expected, it will open up the opportunity to host the IPL behind closed doors – though the loss of gate receipts is likely to cost a lot of money.

- TEAMtalk media