Michael Atherton unsure of IPL 2021 getting rescheduled this year

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended indefinitely on May 4 after multiple positive cases within different team bubbles. It started with Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier contracting the virus after which CSK bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji also tested positive.

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Soon Amit Mishra and Wriddhiman Saha also contracted the virus which led to the suspension of the T20 extravaganza. Later, it was reported that BCCI is eyeing a September window before the T20 World Cup to finish the season. However, former England cricketer Michael Atherton is unsure about it and feels it is an extremely tough task for the Indian board to reschedule.

"It is a logistical challenge. The IPL not only has a high number of domestic Indian players, but players from all around the world. The IPL is obviously worth a lot of money to the global game - I think it brings in a third of the game's global revenue - so people will be keen to see it staged, but the logistics are very tricky for the tournament now," Atherton said while speaking to Sky Sports.

It is indeed a challenge for BCCI to create a new window for IPL 2021 now as team India will be in England until September 14. They are scheduled to play the WTC Final against New Zealand from June 18-22. With the prevailing conditions and travel restrictions due to COVID-19, they will stay back in England for the five-match Test series starting from the first week of August.