Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 17 (ANI): Punjab Kings bowling coach James Hopes believes the revised schedule is the most “logical” way to complete the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) instead of trying to host the tournament in September.
Last Friday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a one-week suspension of the cash-rich league due to the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. After the suspension, there were various rumours regarding hosting the remainder of the tournament.
Some reports suggested that the tournament was delayed for months while many anticipated the return in May itself. After the cessation of hostilities, the Indian board, earlier this week confirmed that the remaining 17 fixtures would be held from May 17 to June 3.
Hopes, who stayed in the national capital after the suspension of the tournament, backed the BCCI’s decision to continue with the tournament after the week-long suspension. He evaluated the option of hosting the remaining fixtures in September but shot it down due to the low possibility of different boards releasing their players to feature for their respective franchises.
“I think a lot of players have come back. I think trying to set up the tournament in September would have been a difficult ask, to get all the boards to agree to release the players. I think trying to finish the tournament now is the only logical thing they can do to complete this IPL,” he told reporters in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
Punjab will square off against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur’s scorching heat on Sunday. According to the new schedule, the Kings will play their remaining home fixtures at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. While many speculate how Punjab would fare in the new conditions, the fast bowling coach stressed the dynamic nature of the squad.
“We are heavily favoured towards pace, but we do have some spinners in our squad that we’re more than willing to play if the pitch offers that. We are very confident in the depth we’ve got. We tried to put together a squad that could play in all different conditions,” he added. (ANI)
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