IPL All-Star games in doubt as franchise not release players

The IPL All-Star game to debut for the first time in the 13-year history of the IPL series, as previously announced by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly. This exhibition game is set to launch three days before the opening of the 13^th edition of the annual cricket tournament. However, franchise owners reportedly unhappy with the scheduling of the game.

The game will be a one-off fixture, organized for a charitable cause featuring players from all the eight franchises. Four franchises in the North-East India with players from Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, while the other four are from the South-West zone franchises include Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Speaking to a leading Indian news outlet, franchises told that cricket and commercial are the main reasons involved for the franchises to say no to an IPL All-Star game before the commencement of the tournament. “Commercially, we are not okay if players don’t wear our jersey (regardless of an All-Star game),” a franchise owner told per reports.

“Sharing a player just days or a week before the start of the IPL doesn’t make sense. A player will have to miss out on team bonding exercises and travel that much more. There’s only that much time that players who arrive from all over the world get to bond with each other before the start of the tournament. It doesn’t make sense,” said another franchise owner.

Despite the doubts, the All-Star game is yet to be finalized officially as President Ganguly said in his previous announcement that they “have not decided the names of the teams for the All-Stars game” and “haven’t finalized the venue” just yet.

Sources also claimed that the start date of IPL 2020 was also going to be discussed in another ICC board meeting. “Once there’s clarity on who’ll be India’s board representative at ICC, that individual will also have to be at the ICC meetings. They’ll have to take a re-look at the starting date of the IPL once again,” a source told reports.

The start of the new season was earlier announced to be on March 29, while the final of the tournament will be played on May 24 to be played both in Mumbai, the home ground of the defending champions Mumbai Indians.

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