Closed-door TNPL may be held in August: TNCA secretary

With the extended lockdown making it practically impossible for the organiser to hold the tournament as scheduled – between June 10 and July 12 – TNCA on Monday postponed TNPL 2020. It is to be noted that TNPL is one among several sporting activities in India and the world to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

When asked which month could be a possible window to have a delayed start, Ramasaamy told DT Next, “It is August. Even broadcaster Star Sports is OK with holding the matches in empty stadiums.” A decision on TNPL Season 5’s future was supposed to be taken at the TNCA Office in Chennai on May 20.

But since the lockdown will continue to be in place until at least the end of this month, Ramasaamy said all conversations have been put on hold for now. “We were thinking that the TNCA Office would be allowed to open on Monday. We were planning to function from Wednesday onward. So, we started cleaning and disinfecting (the premises). But apparently, we can start working only on May 31,” he added.

Going by Ramasaamy’s words, TNCA office bearers, team owners, tournament’s Governing Council (GC) and broadcaster will get together in June to arrive at new dates for the eight-team event. “After May 31, we will have a meeting with all stakeholders to find out when we can conduct the competition,” said Ramasaamy.

If the event is pushed back by a couple of months, TNPL will revert to its regular August window, the period during which all four previous editions took place. Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore and Salem, earlier this year, were named centres for the league.

However, with team travel not recommended in the country for the immediate future, it will be interesting to see what call is taken as far as the venues are concerned.