Plans to host 'Mini IPL' in USA put on hold

BCCI President Anurag Thakur. (AP)     Lauderhill (US): BCCI president Anurag Thakur has said the Cricket Board has put on hold plans of hosting a 'mini IPL' in the USA, with T20 Internationals being seen as the preferred platform to reach out to the American market. The main hurdle, according to Thakur, was the time zone difference. "I think we must understand the time difference. IPL is seen in India from 7 o'clock to 11 or 11.30 at night. So you have to play somewhere in the east coast here (USA) so (that) the timing matches. If we have to play in the day here, the matches should be seen in India at night because broadcasting is a big thing. So you can't make your home fan lose (by) playing outside India. So which are the provinces you can play in United States? That's a big task," Thakur was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. He added, "IPL, we are not even thinking of hosting it outside India. It has to be hosted in India, but there are many other options what you can do which we'll let you know over a period of time when we come out with a long-term plan for this market." The BCCI had announced the idea of a 'mini IPL' or 'IPL overseas' in June when Thakur had said the board would host the tournament in September. A final approval was awaited though. The USA and UAE were options being discussed at the IPL governing council and working committee meetings earlier this year.