Twenty20 World Cup braced for delay to 2021 due to coronavirus risks, says Cricket Australia boss

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will have the final say over whether the October 18-November 15 event will go ahead

Australia's T20 captain Aaron Finch, left, and David Warner will play central roles for the hosts when the Twenty20 World Cup is eventually played on home soil. AFP

The Twenty20 World Cup is under "very high risk" of not being hosted this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cricket Australia boss Kevin Roberts has said.

Like most major sport, professional cricket has been in lockdown since March, causing the cancellation and postponement of numerous international series and franchise competitions. That includes the Indian Premier League (IPL), which has continuously pushed back its start date.

"Obviously, we’ve been hopeful all along that it could be staged in October-November but you would have to say there is a very high risk about the prospect of that happening," Roberts told reporters in a video call on Friday.

"In the event that doesn’t happen, there are potential windows in the February-March period, October-November the following year.

"And there are implications here for the ICC over a number of years. So there’s a lot of complexity for the ICC to deal with."

The International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's world governing body, has the final say over whether the October 18-November 15 event will go ahead.

On Thursday, the ICC deferred decisions over the tournament until its next board meeting on June 10.

India's cricket board (BCCI), which is set to host the following edition of the tournament in 2021, is keeping a close eye on developments as a postponement could open up a window for the IPL.

The lucrative franchise-based tournament, which was supposed to start at the end of March, had to be postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic and the BCCI faces a $530 million (Dh1.95 billion) dip in revenue if the competition fails to go ahead.

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The IPL's move to an October-November slot could impact Australia's scheduled T20 series with West Indies (October 4-9) and India (October 11-17) confirmed on Thursday, with a number of Australian internationals contracted to IPL teams.

Australia's cricketers would need exemptions from CA to be excused from international duty and play in the IPL but Roberts declined to say whether CA would grant them.

"The question of the IPL will be addressed when a decision is made around the T20 World Cup, that’s the key influencing factor there," he said.