Australia batting great Ian Chappell feels that the suspension of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League could set a precedent for the World T20 to be either postponed or moved from India, where Covid-19’s second wave is wreaking havoc.
The former Australian international also feels that the suspension has once again proved that the game of cricket is vulnerable and there have always been loopholes, only this time it’s natural.
"The suspension of the 2021 IPL tournament because of surging Covid infections and deaths among the public, and a number of participants testing positive, was a reminder of the game's vulnerability," wrote the former Aussie skipper in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
Giving examples of the 1970-71 Boxing Day Test, where officials, just to recapture the loss, turned the game into the first-ever One Day International, because four days had been washed out, the septuagenarian said that IPL suspension could become a precedent and lead to further postponement of the World T20.
"In the current disastrous climate, the suspension of the IPL could also produce a precedent. It may lead to the World T20 event, programmed for India later in the year, either being postponed or moved," added Chappell, who represented Australia in 75 Tests and 16 ODIs, scoring over 6000 runs, with 14 centuries and 34 fifties in his kitty.