What does COVID-19 mean for the future of cricket?

BY KAYLA LARIM

As many fans know, the novel Coronavirus has put a halt to all major sporting events. From the NHL to the IPL, professional leagues across the globe have been “postponed” however; there is no word on when. Some international cricket leagues typically play in later months, such at the Caribbean Premier League in October. But even then, it is unknown if it will be played due to the pandemic.

ESPN Cricinfo has predicted an estimated time as to when major leagues would be back in full swing and what is at stake for each.

The Indian Premier League is played annually in the Spring, typically April and into May featuring eight teams from different cities in India. It is of the most attended cricket leagues in the world and due to the pandemic, this year will be the first year that the league will be not completing a season in 12 years since it began in 2008. It was originally meant to start this year on March 29^th and was pushed back to April 15^th 2020 in hopes of the pandemic depleting. However after the Indian government has put a more restricting ban on social gatherings as the severity of the virus increased, it was not possible to continue. Currently, there is discussion on having the schedule stretched to the first week of June.

Only in their third season, the four teams in the Women’s T20 Challenge will unfortunately not be able to compete as it was set to be held in May 2020. The competition, which began in 2018, features the top women’s cricketers from around the world. The four teams that were scheduled to participate are Trailblazers, Supernovas, Velocity, and the addition of the newest and final team.

Another league scheduled to begin in May was the ODI League. With 13 teams participating, the ODI League was approved to play between May 1^st this year and March 31^st, 2022 serving as a qualification pathway for the 2023 Men’s World Cup in India. As it stands, the ICC is yet to finalize the playing conditions for the league.

Unfortunately under these circumstances, only time will tell when some of these fan favourites will return to the pitch. The game of cricket, which is typically played all year will be at a standstill for the first time since World War II.