IPL 2020: FRANCHISES SHOW RED FLAG TO ALL-STAR GAME, LIKELY TO BE SCRAPPED!

The most anticipated all-star game that was to be played before the start of the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) looks set to be scrapped or postponed due to objections from the franchises.

An official of one of the franchises told Hindustan Times that the all-star game would interrupt the preparation time of the players.

“The big names start coming in around a week before the tournament starts. Now, if you have them going to play the All-Star game say on March 25, that means they leave for the venue on March 23 night or March 24 morning. They play the next day and return only on March 26 and the tournament gets underway on March 29. Does that really make sense? Also, is it fair on the franchises? Don’t think it is ,” the official was quoted as saying.

Another official expressed disappointment over the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not holding any discussion with the franchises before announcing the launch of the all-star game.

“It came as a news to us from the media that there could be an All-Star game. We weren’t even kept in the loop, let alone be a part of the decision-making. An All-Star game cannot be played by two second-string squads and the least they could have done was given us an opportunity to discuss the point. We are not even getting to the point where one of these big players could end up getting injured during the game,” the official said.