Sunil Gavaskar said IPL 2020 can be held in the lead up to T20 World Cup (Photograph by Vikram Sharma)

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar on Monday said India and Australia can swap the T20 World Cups in a bid to host the tournaments in 2020 as well as in 2021 in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Sunil Gavaskar, speaking to India Today, said if the swap is possible then the Indian Premier League (IPL) can be held in September, weeks ahead of the T20 World Cup if the Covid-19 curve flattens in India.

Gavaskar pointed out that Australia has sealed its borders for six months due to the crisis. Notably, 2 T20 World Cups are scheduled to be held in successive years -- 2020 in Australia and 2021 in India.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought normal lives to a grinding halt across the global. Among other things, sport has been the worst hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak. Some of the biggest sporting events, including the Tokyo Olympics, have been postponed.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the IPL 2020 has been 'postponed until further notice' after India extended its nation-wide lockdown until May 3. The IPL was scheduled to kickstart on March 29 but it was initially suspended until April 15 due to the lockdown before the final call came from the Indian cricket board.

As it turns out, the fate of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in October-November in Australia has become uncertain due to the growing concern over the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"At the moment, as we all know, Australia has barred foreigners from entering the country till the 30th of September. The tournament is starting from mid-October or the 3rd week of October, so it's looking a bit difficult at the moment," Gavaskar told India Today.

"If it can be done... next year's T20 World Cup is in India. If it can be done... where India and Australia come to an agreement... In case the curve in India flattens out and India and Australia swap... so the T20 World Cup is in India in October-November this year and Australia in October-November next year, then it can happen.

"If it is going to happen that way, then maybe what can happen is the IPL can be held just prior to the T20 World Cup so that it's enough practice for the players to have T20 World Cup.

ICC to discuss T20 World Cup future on Thursday

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will on Thursday review contingency plans for this year's men's Twenty20 World Cup in Australia and discuss ways to restart the sport once the pandemic subsides, the governing body said on Monday.

"In relation to ICC events, including the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, we will continue to take advice from experts and authorities, including the Australian government," ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said.

Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar also said the organisers can look at postponing the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in September. Pakistan have the hosting rights for the continental T20 tournament which will be held in the United Arab Emirates.

"Then the Asia Cup can be held in December in the UAE. That's a much better time to have the tournament than in September when it can be extremely hot," Gavaskar said.