NEW DELHI (India): The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly said on Wednesday the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament has been called off amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The event, which had Pakistan as original hosts, was scheduled for September with the UAE and Sri Lanka frontrunners to stage the tournament.
“Asia Cup has been cancelled. It was due in September,” Ganguly, who turned 48 on Wednesday, said in an instagram chat with an Indian television station.
Ganguly’s statement comes after Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan said last month the Asia Cup would go ahead as scheduled in either Sri Lanka or the UAE.
The tournament was not to be held in Pakistan due to India’s refusal to tour the country over political tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) this month will also decide on the future of the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for October-November in Australia.
On the Indian Premier League (IPL), he said: “We don’t know when will IPL happen because it is difficult to get a window. ICC is trying that World T20 takes place in October. Because ICC generates a lot of revenue from this.”
“Till the time we get clear cut directions from ICC we cannot talk about IPL. Because we don’t have a window as we travel to Australia in December.”
Ganguly said the BCCI would be keen to host the IPL, which is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy.
“We will try hard to and make it happen, because it is very important for India,” said the former Indian captain.
