Hyderabad: As Indian Premier League 2020 is approaching fast with only 16 days left for its kick-off, the question of the mega event getting cancelled arises as many major sporting events are getting postponed or suspended globally due to coronavirus outbreak.
Many football leagues and even National Basketball Association (NBA) have also suspended its season after some of the players tested positive for coronavirus.
Similarly, uncertainty looms over IPL due to the outbreak and there are high chances that the tournament, which is scheduled to begin from March 29 might get postponed or cancelled.
In fact, experts say that postponing the tournament looks difficult as the cricket annual calendar will not again have a clear six to seven weeks window that the IPL requires.
Also, no foreign players will be available until April 15 due to visa restrictions.
In case of cancellation, there is a lot at stake.
Now the question arises: If IPL gets cancelled then how will MS Dhoni make a comeback in Team India?
Team India's new selection panel, which is led by Sunil Joshi, has already stated that Dhoni, who is the skipper of Chennai Super Kings, will have to perform in the upcoming IPL to be considered for T20 World Cup selection.
Even Joshi's predecessor MSK Prasad had made it clear that the team has moved on from Dhoni and he has to first play to be considered for selection.
"Dhoni will be back in the reckoning only if he has a good IPL. And why only him, there are so many senior and young players who will play in the IPL. If they do well, they are ought to be considered too. So, you could see some surprise inclusions," a BCCI source told media.
The T20 World Cup will be played in Australia in October-November and the games India play after the IPL leading up to the mega event will also be a factor in the final squad selection.
"But the performance in the IPL could be the clincher," the source added.
Now, with the dark cloud hanging over IPL 2020, it won't be wrong to say that Dhoni's future is in jeopardy.
If the cash-rich league gets cancelled then fans might never see Dhoni donning the Blue jersey again or atleast in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Noticeably, 38-year-old Dhoni, who has led CSK to three IPL titles, has not played competitive cricket since the World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand last year and has maintained a stoic silence on what his next move would be.
Also, the former Indian skipper did not find a place for himself in the BCCI's centrally contracted players list.
Meanwhile, if everything goes as per plan then the 13th edition of the IPL will start from March 29 with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in what will be Dhoni's first game after an eight-month sabbatical.
