Former cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Sanjay Manjrekar have called on the Indian Premier League (IPL) to go ahead but behind closed doors to help the sport's economy during the coronavirus lockdown.
The world's richest cricket tournament has been postponed until April 15, which coincides with the end of India's 21-day nationwide shutdown to halt the spread of the pandemic.
But with the number of cases and deaths rising and India isolated from international travel, few believe any sport will be possible in the sub-continent for at least three months.
"Let's say July-August is the earliest," said Kevin Pietersen, the former England batsman. "I do truly believe the IPL should happen. I think every single player around the world is desperate to play the IPL."
Pietersen suggested the eight-team tournament be shortened from its normal eight-week duration and played behind closed doors.
"There could be a way in which to get some money into the franchises, into the economy by having a situation where you use maybe three venues which are completely closed to fans," he said. "And the players can still go out and play the tournament in three weeks or in four weeks.
"I think the fans need to understand they can't watch a live game at the moment and they might not be able to watch a live game for the foreseeable future."
The league is a huge revenue earner for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is estimated to generate more than $11 billion (Dh40.4bn) for the Indian economy.
Chinese mobile phone-maker Vivo paid $330 million to be the league's top sponsor for 2018-2022.
Former India batsman Manjrekar said the league, which involves stars such as England's Ben Stokes, David Warner and Pat Cummins of Australia, and India captain Virat Kohli, will inject life into the virus-ravaged economy.
"The moment we get clearances from all the authorities that matter, the IPL should happen, only because it will kickstart the economy," said the cricketer-turned-commentator.
"Because when you talk about the IPL it's not just about the Mumbai Indians, or a [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni or a Virat Kohli, there are a lot of people who are making their livelihood through the IPL."
Stokes and Cummins have already voiced their eagerness to participate in the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders-contracted Cummins said "everyone's still really keen for it (IPL) to all go ahead".
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has conceded the IPL will be a "truncated" affair if it happens at all.
UAE%20ILT20
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Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
