Former Australia skipper Mark Taylor believes this year’s edition of the T20 World Cup will be postponed with the Indian Premier League likely taking its slot.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought great uncertainty over the completion of the World Cup, which is due to start in Australia in October.

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But, despite Cricket Australia stating in March that their preparations for the showpiece will go ahead as planned, Taylor believes the IPL could salvage some of the lost cricket this year, while it will also be less risky than hosting a number of countries in Down Under.

‘I think that’s the most likely scenario, because 15 teams planning to come to Australia between October and November, 45 matches over a proposed seven venues. In the world that we live in, international travel is going to be extremely difficult,’ Taylor said in an interview with Channel Nine Sports.

This year’s IPL was already postponed from its original April start and under current circumstances it looks unlikely to take place at all this year.

Not unless it is played in place of the T20 World Cup, according to Taylor, who also thinks it might provide Cricket Australia with enough time to prepare for the expensive tour of India in December.

‘So, if the ICC were to postpone that event, that will open the door for the BCCI to say, “We will have our IPL in India”, which actually puts the onus back on individuals whether they want to travel, rather than nations moving whole teams over to a certain country.

‘Cricket in a way is fortunate with the timing. They have also now got some time to do some planning. I have no doubt that CA will now be thinking about IPL and maybe not the T20 World Cup. They want India here in this country. That’s what they want and they are already talking about Adelaide Oval as a hub to maybe host all four Tests; I think it is feasible, and they’ve got a hotel attached to the ground,’ Taylor said.