IPL 2020 may be held in July, 'minus crowds if needed'

The BCCI is keenly watching the evolving coronavirus situation and is keen to not cancel the tournament this year, which rakes in millions in revenue for its various stakeholders including the board, broadcasters and high-profile franchise owners.

This means that should the need arise, IPL matches may also be held in the absence of a stadium crowd, “but only as a last resort”, the official quoted above said.

India is currently in a 21-day national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to push social distancing and curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far seen nearly 5,700 cases and 169 deaths. There is talk the government may extend the lockdown.

But with the coronavirus situation still evolving, it is still early to say when or whether the IPL, whose value was pegged at Rs 47,500 crore by Duff & Phelps last year, will actually be held. A no-show this year could result in its value falling by about Rs 5,000-Rs 7,500 crore, according to estimates.

“If the lockdown is extended, it would be difficult to have a full-fledged IPL in the current window till the beginning of June,” said another senior BCCI official.

India has official bilateral engagements later this year, besides the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in Australia, which means the BCCI has a small window in terms of cricketers' availability in which to make the event happen.

The BCCI official said the board was still working out its revenue hit should the event be cancelled but warned of significant “collateral damage” to broadcasters and sponsors should it not be held.

The glitzy IPL earns money through gate collections, merchandise sponsors (Pepsi is a regular), title sponsor (purchased by Vivo for Rs 400 crore last year) besides other collections.

A big chunk of revenues comes from the sale of broadcasting rights, which were sold to Star India for Rs 16,347 crore in 2018 for five years. “The premier league is a major contributor to the Star Network, and not just Star Sports,” said an insider. Cancellation of the event will lead to a significant fall in the broadcaster’s ratings.

"The financial impact will be very heavy if the IPL is not played this year, but we don’t yet know how much would that be," said a Chennai Super Kings official.

But officials said scrapping of the event could trigger a domino effect that would ripple through the entire IPL ecosystem, including its players, officials, F&B partners down to the technicians who ensure the wheels keep moving to host the most glamorous cricket tournament on the planet.