According to the reports, the Road Safety World Series is set to be played after the 15th season of the Indian T20 League. The first edition of the tournament featured former cricketers from India, South Africa, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Bangladesh. The tournament was played in early part of 2020. However, the emergence of the COVID19 pandemic meant that the event was postponed.
The first four games of the tournament were played in March 2020 before the world went into lockdown. The rest of the tournament was played next year in February with India Legends becoming the champions, beating Sri Lanka. The tournament was founded by Ravi Gaikwad, chief of the Road Safety Cell in Maharashtra, and approved by the Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI). Notably, the tournament was marred by controversies regarding fee payments.
Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar discontinued his association with the league due to non-payments. Also, Bangladesh media had reported that former players such as Khaled Mahmud, Mehrab Hossain, and Rajin Saleh have not been paid for their involvement in the inaugural edition of the Road Safety World Series. Later on, Saleh released a video saying that all his dues were cleared and he had a great journey.
“It was a fabulous tournament, it was a great journey for us. I know there have been some payment issues, but it has not been cleared now,†said Saleh. Former Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzaq also said that his payments are cleared. This year, the tournament is reported to be played after the ITL in four venues. These venues are Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Lucknow, and Indore. However, no official statement has been made regarding the tournament.
