Cricket: England set to postpone September India tour due to coronavirus

England’s September white-ball tour of India is set to be postponed to next year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

England were slated to play three ODIs and as many T20s against India, and were due to fly out on September 16.

However, according to a report in the Daily Mail, the postponement of the T20 World Cup would free up space for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to begin in the last week of September, thereby diminishing any hopes of England’s visit to India.

The report further said that talks are ongoing between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and it is understood that the limited-overs matches could be tagged along with England’s five-Test series in India early next year.

The BCCI is looking at a end-September to early-November window for the cash-rich IPL, possibly held overseas in the UAE or Sri Lanka.

The BCCI is still awaiting an official decision on the fate of the T20 World Cup which is currently scheduled to be held in Australia in October-November.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has also stated they would like to host the IPL 13 this year and an overseas move cannot be ruled out.