This archive report was first published on 9 May 2020.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of cricket hangs in the balance. On May 8, 2020, India captain Virat Kohli expressed his concerns about the impact of empty stadiums on the sport.
"It might happen. I honestly don't know how everyone's going to be able to take that, because we are used to playing in front of so many passionate people," Kohli said in an interview with Star Sports.
According to Kohli, the absence of a live audience would make it difficult to recreate the emotional connection between players and fans. "It will be played at a very good intensity, but that feel of the crowd connecting with the players, everyone feeling that tension around the stadium, those emotions are difficult to recreate," he explained.
The pandemic has already disrupted the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is one of the most popular cricket tournaments in the world. The IPL was supposed to reach its final stages in May 2020, but it has been postponed indefinitely.
Some European football leagues are already planning to restart in empty stadiums, but the IPL has not made any official announcements. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said it is "exploring all options" for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Australia in October 2020.
Even if the tournament goes ahead, players like Australia's wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey are worried about the impact of empty stadiums on the sport. "Cricket as we're used to is going to be different for a bit. There's the T20 World Cup and the IPL that we're all looking to play, but it's hard to picture anything without the fans," Carey said in an Instagram session with Delhi's official website.
