After India and Pakistan agreed to a ‘full and immediate ceasefire’, bringing an halt to three days of heavy exchange of fire between the two nations, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sped up the process of resuming the Indian Premier League, which was suspended for a week on Friday.
While several sources indicated to Sportstar that the Board has already informally reached out to the relevant stakeholders and is constantly monitoring the situation before formally announcing the revised schedule in a day or two, possibly by Sunday.
All the foreigners flew out of the country by early Saturday, and now it could be a challenge to convince them to return. “The ceasefire has just been announced, we will have to assess the situation, and speak to the government before going ahead. The safety of everyone will be paramount and we will meet shortly and make a decision in the best interest of the game and the country. But we are confident,” a highly reliable source said.
There’s a possibility that if things remain normal, the Board could look at a possible resumption around May 16 or 17 and increase the number of double headers to complete the tournament by the end of the month.
For now, both options—of sticking to the old venues and also moving matches to the south and east—are being deliberated. Most likely, the two remaining games that were scheduled to be held in Dharamsala will be played in Ahmedabad.
Several franchise sources indicated that they haven’t formally heard anything from the Board yet, though some have started speeding up the resumption process internally.