Pakistan's Legendary Cricketer Zaheer Abbas Backs BCCI Decision To Stage 2020 IPL Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

While the ICC cancelling the World T20, slated to take place in Australia later this year postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI is set to hold the 13th edition of the IPL 2020 in UAE in the same window.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s decision to stage the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the United Arab Emirates from Sept- November after the T20 World Cup's postponement has not gone down too well with a lot of Pakistani cricketers. However, there is some support coming for the Indian Board in from across the border, as former Pakistani batting great Zaheer Abbas has backed the BCCI for hosting the IPL amid the pandemic. While the ICC cancelling the World T20, slated to take place in Australia later this year postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI is set to hold the 13th edition of the IPL 2020 in UAE in the same window. While leading Pakistani cricketers including Shoaib Akhtar criticised the entire development, Abbas opined that the BCCI has the right to make money using IPL, especially during these financially testing times brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. "Every country likes to play T20 matches to make money. Every country, you know, I am not talking only about India, but all of us because there is so much money involved in these tournaments these days," Abbas told the Khaleej Times on Friday. "They (the cricket boards) have so many commitments which they have to fulfil. As you know, the teams coming from the West Indies and Pakistan to England for the Test series, they were in quarantine for some time and they (the West Indies and England) played without a crowd," he explained. "So that's why I am saying that even in the current scenario, every cricket-playing country would like to make some money. For that matter, all the cricket playing countries have to help each other," Abbas said. Cricket boards around the world are finding it tough to organise domestic as well as international series on account of the threat posed to to the safety their players due to the coronavirus. Considering the worsening COVID-19 situation in India, the BCCI decided to take the IPL Season 13 in UAE. The tournament, however, only became possible because the T20 World Cup could not be held this year. While the Caribbean Premier League commences in August in West Indies, even the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is looking to hold the remaining matches of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 in November this year. The IPL 2020 is scheduled to start on September 19 in the UAE, with the grand finale of the tournament expected to be held on November 10.