BCCI president Anurag Thakur had announced a couple of weeks ago that the board is planning a mini IPL. The prospect seems to have gained speed, with the tournament set to take place in either the UAE or North America.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, BCCI have also entered into discussions with broadcasters Star India. Reports also suggest that BCCI is soon going to have a meeting with all eight franchises. In this meeting, they are going to discuss further about the mini IPL.
The mini IPL is likely to be held a week after India's tour of West Indies end on August 22.
This tournament has been brought on as a replacement for the Champions League T20.
Among the two destinations that the BCCI have decided to host the mini IPL, UAE seems to be the better option, as Indian viewers will be able to watch the matches more conveniently because of the lesser time difference.
The blue print of the tournament is yet to be chalked out. There are a number of issues that BCCI will have to discuss elaborately with the franchises -- finances, operations, player availability and player fees, to just name a few.
However, several critics of the T20 leagues may raise questions about organising yet another IPL, even if it is a smaller version of it. Australia head coach Darren Lehmann had spoken about the hectic schedule. Rest is important for all the players so that they at least get time to recover from injuries (if there are any) and come back re-energised for the next series.
The availability of players will be also be an issue. There are hundreds of players who feature in the IPL and all of them may not be available for the mini IPL in September. Logistics can turn out to be a major problem as well.
BCCI will have to consider all of the issues concerned, and bring about the best plans to overcome it if they are to make this tournament, if it goes ahead, a success.
