IPL matches bound for England to help cover financial shortfall caused by Covid-19

Surrey chairman Richard Thompson is leading the charge, with London mayor Sadiq Khan understood to be keen

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Indian Premier League matches could be hosted in England in years to come as part of an ambitious plan to plug the financial gap caused by Covid-19.

The ECB are currently counting the cost of the pandemic, which has seen matches played behind closed doors for months and counties report huge losses in revenue.

Among the ideas to re-energise the industry is to invite IPL teams to play matches, starting with exhibitions, at Test venues in the coming years.

Such plans would mirror the relationship developed with the National Football League, with regular-season matches having been staged at Wembley Stadium, Twickenham and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since 2007.

London mayor Sadiq Khan, who helped bring Major League Baseball matches to the capital in 2019, is understood to be a supporter of the proposal which is being spearheaded by Surrey chairman Richard Thompson.

"We would love to bring the IPL to London and other areas of England," The Kia Oval chief told The Daily Mail.

"We think that's the silver bullet in terms of reaching a more diverse audience for cricket in this country.

"We could stage games in the same way Jacksonville Jaguars, for one, play legitimate NFL games in London. 

"The windfalls that staging the Champions Trophy and World Cup provided for English cricket were huge and we see the IPL on that level.

"This could be worth 10s of millions to the English game. We have all lost so much money through Covid that we have to be more creative and provide cricket that generates revenue you wouldn't otherwise have made. That's why I think IPL is a no-brainer."

Friendly matches involving IPL franchises could be staged as soon as Covid-19 restrictions allow.

Per the government roadmap, crowds are permitted back into sporting venues from May 17, with all restrictions due to be dropped from June 21.

Plans for the matches come after former ECB chairman Colin Graves revealed earlier in the year that IPL owners could buy into teams competing in The Hundred.

Projections from the ECB suggest that Covid may have cost cricket £200 million. The government body cut 62 jobs as a result of the grim finances.

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