BCCI President casts doubt over mini IPL

BCCI President Anurag Thakur said that the board has put any plans for a mini IPL in the USA on hold , with T20s being the preferred format in the American market . The key obstacle according to Thakur, was the time zone difference . The mid-week fixtures will be difficult to draw big crowds and also limit their options for various venues around the country .

” 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.” said Thakur .” I think we must understand the time difference for matches to be held in the USA , so you can’t make your home fan lose by playing outside India .”

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 after talks with franchises and broadcasters but no announcement had been made yet .The USA & UAE were options being discussed at the IPL governing council and working committee meetings earlier this year .

The BCCI tried to fill an empty window as India is not scheduled to play any cricket till the home tests against New Zealand starting on September 22 .