At a time when speculations have surfaced that the Indian Premier League (IPL) could be played later this year at empty venues, Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore believes that technology will play a key role in dictating terms in post-COVID-19 cricket.

The 13th edition of the IPL, which was scheduled to be played from March 29 was earlier postponed to April 15 before it was suspended for an indefinite period of time due to the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus.

However, Mysore believes rather than getting deterred, cricket officials have the opportunity to “re-imagine” the business strategy and should think of using technology to sustain the popularity of big tournaments like IPL, reported ESPN.

Mysore said that the technology companies would have the opportunities to fill the void and engineer the fan experience and immersion at the empty stadiums. According to the report, he has advocated for the establishment of “an artificial aural atmosphere”.

“Technology is going to play a massive role,” Mysore said. “I am just saying, if you’re thinking out of the box – an LED wall in stands where, through social media, [fans] can virtually be present there. There are people who’ll be reacting the same way if they were physically at the ground. People have said something about simulation too.

“I lived in the US for several years and became an American football fan. Home games and away games are big events there, because the crowd becomes your twelfth man. So what visiting teams used to do when they practised was blast the crowd noise on the speakers, just to get used it. The noise can be deafening in matches,” he added.

Meanwhile, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that hosting IPL behind closed doors would generate less attraction and it would be difficult to make sure that officials and the players present at the stadiums adhere to the social distancing measures and follow other health protocols.

“Yes, the attraction will be less. I remember playing in such a scenario [when spectators were not allowed in for the final day after crowd disturbances at Eden Gardens] at the Asian Test Championship game against Pakistan in 1999 and there was a clear lack of excitement,” Ganguly said as quoted by mid-day.

“If you have matches with restricted amount of crowds, not only would strict social distancing rules apply, the officials would also have to be very careful about how the spectators leave the galleries for home. The policing will have to be very strict. It’s a tough call and the situation we find ourselves in, is grave,” he added.