IPL 2020 Seeks September-November Window After ICC T20 World Cup Is Postponed
Courtesy: NDTV
The postponement of the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 has opened up a window for this year's Indian Premier League. The mega-rich league looks set to return after it was postponed in April due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, concerns remain over the venue. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has two venues on its mind - India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Their preferred venue is India, but with the rise in coronavirus cases, they have decided to have a back-up venue. The UAE had also hosted the first leg of IPL 2014.
A proposal for staging the league will be sent to the government after the IPL Governing Council meets this weekend, with two proposed windows for staging 60 matches.
The BCCI prefers the window between September 26 and November 7, while the broadcasters wish to stage it between September 26 and November 14, to make the most during the Diwali weekend.
However, the Indian team travels to Australia for a four-Test series, starting December 3, and the board will have to plan for a clear quarantine window before the series starts.
For now, the BCCI will look to submit plans for a bio-secure venue and the process of bringing the players, ensuring their health and safety amidst the raging pandemic.
The ICC on Monday had also revealed revised dates for their three upcoming global events in men's cricket, including the 2023 World Cup which is to be played in India.
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 will be held October-November 2021 with the final on 14 November 2021, the ICC said in a statement.
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 will be held October-November 2022 with the final on 13 November 2022, it added.
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AI, IndiGo, SpiceJet seek ATF price relief; say airline industry on verge of 'stopping operations'
Mumbai (PTI): Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
The West Asia turmoil has pushed up oil prices, and airspace restrictions have increased airlines' operating costs, especially on long-haul routes. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for around 40 per cent of a carrier's operational expenses.
Against this backdrop, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has written to the civil aviation ministry, seeking steps to extend the same fuel pricing mechanism uniformly across both domestic and international operations as was done in the past with the establishment of the crack band.
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With an unprecedented rise in jet fuel prices and exorbitant crack/differential between crude and ATF, the federation said the operation of airlines is being challenged in totality.
"... any ad hoc pricing (domestic vs international) and/or irrational increase in the price of ATF will result in unsurmountable losses for airlines and will lead to grounding of aircraft, resulting in cancellation of flights," the federation, which represents Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, said.
"In order to survive, sustain and continue operation, we request your urgent intervention for immediate and meaningful financial support to tide over the current situation," it said in a letter on April 26.
Also, the airlines have sought temporary deferment of excise duty on ATF, which is at 11 per cent.
"With the abnormal increase in ATF prices from the pre-crisis period, adding rupee depreciation to the increased prices, the 11 per cent excise duty also increases manifold for the airlines and adds to the ATF price as a big impact on airlines," they said.
Last month, the government limited the hike in ATF price to Rs 15 per litre for domestic operations, but for international operations, the price rose by Rs 73 per litre.
The airlines said the situation has practically made international operations, along with domestic operations, completely unviable and resulted in significant losses for the aviation sector in April.
Seeking urgent intervention on the current ATF ad hoc pricing, FIA said the current situation is creating a severe imbalance in domestic and international operations and rendering airline networks unviable and unsustainable.
"The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and is on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations."
The federation has pitched for a transparent pricing framework under the crack band mechanism (USD 12–22/BBL) that was implemented in October 2022, saying there was a fair and reasonable margin for Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
According to FIA, the country's largest aviation hub Delhi has the second-highest value-added tax (VAT) of 25 per cent on jet fuel, while the highest rate is 29 per cent levied in Tamil Nadu.
"The other major aviation cities, viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata range between 16 per cent and 20 per cent. These 6 cities cover more than 50 per cent of airlines' operations within India," the federation said.
